Insatiable
by HanniFan208
Summary: Hannibal is dealt a lucky card when a panicked woman essentially jumps in his car one night. It should have been easy for him, but he chooses to let her live. As she continues to appear in his life and they become closer, he struggles between his instincts to kill her and his curiousity to uncover what she could be hiding. M for later chapters. HannibalxOC. Please Review!
1. Fresh Meat

**Note** This story will begin after Season 1 of _Hannibal_. Please, please, please review. It would mean the world to me(: Thanks for reading! I promise I will update this series AT LEAST once a week (most likely on a Wednesday). I just had to write a fanfic after the TV series ended. I know I'm going to be going through some SERIOUS Hannibal withdrawals. Oh and I own Alouette, but unfortunately no one from NBC's _Hannibal._

After another long day at the psychiatry practice, Hannibal was eager to return home and enjoy a nice meal with a glass of wine. The sun had just set on the warm summer's eve, and he tuned the radio to a classical station that boasted his favorite beautiful violin and piano ensembles. Tonight, the orchestra that Tobias once played in was being featured.

His mind drifted as the darkness of the trees cast shadows on the road in front of him. He thought about how unfortunately rude a patient had been to him today. Well, unfortunate for the patient, perhaps. Hannibal's patients could be such nuisances at times, but regardless, he loved his chosen profession. It was simply perfect for his lifestyle, not to mention that he enjoyed watching madness enfold in front of him. He smiled to himself as he thought of Will Graham, his most recent experimental success.

He drove down a long tree-lined road, relaxing and enjoying the music, until a pale girlish figure darted from the forest and right into the road. Hannibal slammed on his brakes and the woman ran to his car, helped herself to the door, and frantically said "Drive!" before he had a chance to speak.

Hannibal obliged. He glanced at the winded woman, clearly distressed and leaning her head against her arm that rested on the door while softly swearing in fluent French. She wore her long blonde hair in a ponytail, bangs resting on her perspiring forehead. She was dressed in purple running shorts and a tank top, with white running shoes on her tiny feet. One of her shoes was stained from blood that was running down from a large cut in her ivory-skinned leg. She couldn't be more than five feet tall. Though her body was petite and skinny, Hannibal couldn't help but notice her ample breasts and curved hips. "I'm so sorry about this." She spoke in a soft voice, after she was finished with swearing.

"It is not a problem, My name is Dr. Hannibal Lecter," he said. She looked at him when he spoke, and he knew she was surprised by his accent.

"My name is Alouette Dubois…you can call me Ally if you would prefer."

Her name was definitely French, which explained her fluency while cursing a few minutes ago. Hannibal simply couldn't believe his luck. He was handed the ideal situation: a meal that literally jumped in his car and couldn't return home for the night. The blood on her leg had awakened his hunger even further. "Where would you like to go tonight, Miss Dubois?" Though he was sure she would be his next victim, he remained as polite and reserved as usual.

She sounded distant and worried. "I'm afraid, however, that I won't be able to go home tonight. If it isn't a horrible inconvenience, I'd like to stop home first and grab a few things…then I'll stay at the hotel on Joseph Street for the night." Clearly whoever was chasing her knew where she lived as well. Hannibal was surprised at how rationally she was thinking albeit the fact that she had apparently almost been killed. She was obviously emotionally stronger than most people for some reason, and he found that he respected that about her. At any rate he was appreciative of her reaction; it would have pestered him quite a bit to hear her cry in panic all the way home.

Hannibal felt his plan weave together in his mind. He would wait for her to gather her things at her house, and attack on the way to the hotel. It was brilliant, not to mention foolproof. There couldn't be any sort of connection to him, especially considering the fact that whoever she was running from was surely dangerous and could have killed her just as easily. Hannibal still couldn't believe how lucky he was that night. He told her he would be happy to help in any way he could.

"Thank you, thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me." She told him her home address, which happened to be only a mile or so away from his own house. After a few moments of silence, she already seemed to have calmed a bit more. "So, what kind of Doctor are you, Dr. Lecter?"

"Please, Miss Dubois, you may call me Hannibal. I am a psychiatrist; I own a private practice in Baltimore."

"I thought the name sounded familiar," she said. With a small smile, she added, "I might need a psychiatrist after this miserable experience."

He noticed that she seemed to be getting more and more tired with each sentence she spoke. Meanwhile, his hunger grew exponentially with each passing second. The smell of her skin, sweet from the summer night's humidity, was driving him mad. Her toned, clearly active body would certainly do well on his dinner table.

"Would you like to tell me what happened? I am willing to offer my professional expertise," Hannibal gave her a coy smile.

"As tempting as that is, you have saved my life already, how can I possibly ask for more?" She smirked back at him.

He found her charming in the self-sacrificing way. She was the type of woman who clearly put others before herself, and he liked that about her. He hoped she would be just as self-sacrificing when it came to her slaughter. He didn't pursue the subject of her panic any further. Although Hannibal was curious, it wasn't really important to his plan and he knew that she was too guarded to get any extra information out of her on the subject. They arrived at her house. It was quaint and small, but charming. He realized it was a pretty good reflection of Alouette herself. There was an expansive garden around the front, and only a few strips of grass were showing amidst all the flowers. She hesitated for a moment, looking around her yard to make sure whoever was chasing her hadn't beaten her back to the house.

"I will help you with your things," he said.

She thanked him once more, looking at him with bright blue eyes and he followed her as she went up to the house and unlocked her front door. Lights switched on throughout the house, following her like a spotlight. While waiting in the foyer, Hannibal glanced around at her house. Her house was almost completely spotless, and he could tell she spent a lot of time cleaning. The living room contained two leather couches, and the end table featured a large stack of books, and all but one were in French. Next to the books on the end table, there was a half-empty bottle of Pinot Noir and a used red wine glass. There were a couple of oil paintings on the walls of expansive landscapes. Throughout the room, he noticed there were several antiques. On top of her fireplace, there was a very old clock that was no longer working. The clock and her other antique decorations didn't look tacky, like they may if found in an old woman's home.

The blonde woman returned a few minutes later, with a couple of black luggage bags in hand. His long fingers barely brushed hers as he took the bags from her tiny hands. After she locked the door behind them, they got into the car and drove for a few moments in silence. He glanced at her leg that had been bleeding once more. She had washed off some of the blood that dried, and put a small Band-Aid on, which didn't even cover half of the wound. He smiled to himself at her feeble attempt.

Hannibal truly wanted to inquire more about her, but resisted. She seemed an intelligent girl, and whatever she was hiding intrigued him. However, he realized that it wouldn't matter for much longer. He thought about what parts of her he might take for his own enjoyment. While he pondered which organs would be best, he looked over at his passenger seat to find her fast asleep. Apparently, she was so shaken by the events of that evening that it completely exhausted her.

Suddenly, Hannibal wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do. He pulled off the road for a few minutes to give himself some time to think. He could easily end her life now and take advantage of the situation; it remained true that no one would know it was him. However, it just seemed too easy, and too cowardly to do it while she was asleep. If she wouldn't even try to put up a fight, what would the fun be? He wouldn't even be able to see the fear in her eyes when he attacked. What pride would a wolf have when attacking a deer with a broken leg? He promised himself that if he didn't kill tonight, he would when she was back from the hotel, and that this failure on his part wasn't a weakness, but merely a courtesy.

"One room please," Hannibal said to the front desk attendant. The attendant was a younger woman, probably in her twenties and reeked of a negative attitude. She was extremely rude as Hannibal attempted to check in, and treated him as though he was an inconvenience to her. It was then he realized that he had found a replacement victim for Alouette, at least for that evening. Right now, the attendant was the one who deserved to die for her misfortunate attitude. But he could deal with that later

When things were finally squared away, he carried Alouette to her room with her overnight bag. She didn't wake up when he lifted her from the car. He noticed she was very light and he could feel her lean muscles through her running clothes. He laid her down on the bed and realized that she still hadn't woken up. He tore a piece off one of the bed sheets and knelt down next to her to try and bandage her leg a bit better. Hannibal was surprised that she remained fast asleep while he removed the Band-Aid; she was quite the heavy sleeper. The cut didn't look too deep, but upon seeing her open flesh, he had to push back his urges once more. There was a little spot of blood that had dried on her leg. Suddenly, he just longed for a taste of her in an animal-like urgency. He watched her closely to make sure she didn't awaken and gave into his desires as he pressed his tongue to her smooth skin and cleaned the blood from around the wound. Just being that close to her sweet skin was driving him mad. However, he reeled himself in by using an incredible amount of self-control. He knew that he had to respect his earlier decision and he quickly tied the bandage around her leg.

For a few minutes, he sat on the bed next to her, just watching as she slept. Her plentiful breasts rose and fell with her deep breaths. She had a round, feminine face that wasn't nearly as sharply cut as Hannibal's. He could faintly see her cheekbones. Her pink lips were closed as she slept. Hannibal found himself longing to touch the curve of her hips and toned legs. She was so small and just sitting next to her cast a shadow over her entire frame. He imagined she would be just as satisfying to his palate as she was visually pleasing. Although only his killing instinct was triggered when she first ran into his car, he realized that his human needs were being awakened as well and he also longed for her in the primitive, sexual way.

"_All in due time,"_ Hannibal thought to himself. He knew that Alouette would be a prize for him and he would have to bide his time so killing her would fulfill everything he could imagine. He looked at her one last time, still innocently sleeping. Hannibal softly shut the door behind him and headed down to the lobby, toward the red-headed front desk attendant. He was somewhat angry with himself over his failure to kill Alouette, but knew he would see her again and make up for it then. For now, he would take out his rage on the girl who had been so discourteous to him earlier. He shook his head to himself thinking, "_People these days never quite learn, do they?"_

**Note** Alright, I hope you liked it so far! My goal is to make the chapters 2K words or so apiece. Do you all think that's a good length? If you have any comments about the length, story, or writing in general, please review! Thanks for reading!

HanniFan208


	2. Savior

**Note** Here's Chapter 2! Please review, thanks to those who already have! Again, I don't own Hannibal, sadly.

…..

Ally awoke the next morning in the hotel, still wearing her sweaty running clothes from the night before. Remembering the night was like remembering a fuzzy dream; it was difficult to tell what was real and what wasn't. The only indication it was all real was the fact she woke up in a hotel, though it took her a moment to remember how she got there in the first place.

"Doctor Hannibal Lecter…" she said quietly to herself, remembering the man who saved her life. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. She recognized his accent as Lithuanian only because there was a foreign boy with the same accent who went to the same school she had as a girl. If she wasn't so shaken from the night's events, she surely would have spent more time taking in his handsome looks. He was gentlemanly and polite unlike any other man she had ever met. It was almost as if he were born in the wrong era, like he just fell from the sky into her decade with a pristine suit and impeccable grammar. Certainly, Dr. Lecter was the opposite of _him_.

Ally burst into tears at the thought of the man who had chased her through the forest. He had ambushed her, but she was too quick for him, thanks to her long history of running that began on her school's cross country team. It became a very close call when she tripped and scraped her calf on a pointed rock. If she hadn't ran into the car on the road, she would be dead, because of the fact that the adrenaline of escape could only last so long. Alouette looked down at her leg to see that it was bandaged in the same fabric of the hotel's bed linens. Immediately, she knew it was Dr. Lecter who had helped her; she could remember putting a small Band-Aid on it when she couldn't find any gauze and hadn't touched it since arriving at the hotel.

She wondered how she could ever repay Dr. Lecter, who had been so gracious in helping her without any sort of explanation. That was the catch though, wasn't it? There was no amount of favors that could repay the fact he saved her life. Regardless, she vowed that she would see him again after settling down a bit from the whole experience. Perhaps she would even tell him the entire state of affairs; considering he was a psychiatrist and all.

For a moment she wondered if she should call the police and tell them about _him_. However, wherever he was, she knew it was long gone from here. He would be too afraid of getting caught. Besides, the cops had failed to help her in every past circumstance with _him._ Because of that, she barely saw the point in notifying the police, but figured she should anyways.She knew that he wouldn't try to attack her again anytime soon at least; they were normally spread out. Though perhaps that's just what he wanted her to think and perhaps he planned to catch her off-guard once more. Ally's head began to pound; she simply couldn't think about it any longer. She just wanted to live a normal life, free of any traces of _him_.

She dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom. After taking a shower, she heard a knock at the front door that made her jump because she was still so jittery. She looked through the peephole and saw a man in the hotel staff uniform, pushing a cart with a delectable-looking tray of breakfast food on it.

Opening the door, she said to the short, balding man, "I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong room…I didn't order any room service."

He double checked a small spiral notebook that she assumed held the room numbers and their food orders. "It's definitely here for this room, miss. Perhaps this has something to do with it." He smiled, handing her a note and the tray of food before leaving.

Ally set the food down on the bed and looked at the note. In cursive so perfect it reminded her of a computer font, it read:

"_Good morning, Miss Dubois. I hope you are rested and recovering from last night. Enjoy your breakfast. I hope to see you again soon._

_~ H"_

Her heart skipped a few beats, after reading that the man wanted to see her again, even if it were only to make sure she was alright. Then Alouette sighed and almost wished this guy wasn't being so nice to her. She didn't like owing all these favors to someone, especially someone who barely knew her and had no reason at all to help her. However, her growling stomach got the best of her and she knew that the continental breakfast downstairs would be subpar at best, so she helped herself to the crepes covered in blood-red strawberries and sausage that Dr. Lecter had gifted her. She wondered how he guessed that crepes were her favorite breakfast food. Then again, she was French…so of course she enjoyed a good crepe. It couldn't have been that hard for him to figure out, especially after she told him her name. The sausage had a bit of a different taste to her than normal; it seemed richer to her palate somehow. Perhaps the high end hotel just invested in better quality ingredients than she was used to at home.

After finishing her delicious breakfast, she went downstairs to check out of the hotel, where they informed her that the room was already paid for.

_Seriously….another favor? What was with this guy?!_

Alouette called a cab to bring her back home. Ally knew that she was taking a risk by going home so early, but promised herself she would notify the police in a few days, not that it would make that big of a difference regardless. Surprisingly though, the attacker was the furthest from her mind at the moment…She simply couldn't stop thinking about Dr. Lecter and wondered how she could see him again to thank him for everything he had done for her.

Another part of her realized that she wanted to see him again for a deeper, more organic reason. She simply felt drawn to him and his sophisticated presence. He was unlike any man she had ever met and Ally knew at that moment she had to learn more about her mysterious, generous savior.

…..

A few days later, Alouette decided to try and track down the kind Doctor. She searched the phone book for the address of his Baltimore psychiatry practice. As she did with nearly everyone she met, she typed his name in Google to see what came up. There was nothing but praise for his dedication and intelligence in his field. Did he even have any bad qualities?

After her internet digging, she spent a full hour and a half getting primped to see her rescuer. She regretted how awful she looked on their first encounter in her running clothes and zero makeup, and she began to care more and more about the handsome doctor's opinion of her first impression.

It took her several outfit changes to finally decide on a black peplum skirt and matching top. She wore her blonde hair wavy and styled her bangs so they barely brushed her eyelashes. Her best friend, Shelly, who was a hairstylist in the city, told Ally that wearing her hair this way would bring out her azure eyes. After applying a bit of blush, eyeliner, and mascara, she sprayed the Chanel no. 1 perfume that was the signature scent of both Ally and her mother.

Alouette grabbed her red Balenciaga bag and the keys to her black Lexus. She sat in the car and typed the practice's address into the GPS on her phone. On the way, she noticed that she was suddenly extremely nervous. What was she supposed to say when she got there? Once again she was faced with the dilemma of having nothing good enough to say. Would he make her stay and talk about the other night? Was she ready to talk about it with a stranger she barely knew, especially given that she barely confided in her closest friends on the subject? Regardless, Ally knew that with Doctor Lecter, things felt different. For whatever reason, she just had the feeling that he would understand her secrets and that she could trust him with everything. He was just such a giving person, and she knew that he could be a great listener as well. After all, how else could he be a psychiatrist?

It took an agonizingly long half hour to arrive at the practice from her home. Her heart was beating like mad in her chest, threatening to explode at any given moment. She walked in the door, her black heels clacking on the hard wood floor. Ally stopped at the receptionist desk and asked if he was in, and whether or not he had a few moments to see her.

The receptionist smiled politely and said, "What is your name?"

"Alouette Dubois. I don't have an appointment."

"One moment please." She picked up the phone to call his office and said, "Doctor Lecter, there is a woman named Alouette Dubois here to see you." Alouette tried to get her racing pulse under control. Finally, she told Ally that he was on his lunch break and that she was free to go and visit.

Finally, Ally was able to calm down a bit by the time she got to his office door. She straightened her skirt and then knocked twice.

He was at it within seconds. "Ah, Miss Dubois. What a pleasure to see you again so soon," he cooed in his sexy accent. This time, she really got the chance to take in his full appearance. He was much taller than her; almost a foot taller in fact, though the heels reduced some of the difference. His face was chiseled and he had gorgeous high cheekbones and thick golden brown hair resting atop his head. She hadn't found a man this attractive in so long. She watched his full lips say with a kind smile, "Please, do come in," and she was more than happy to follow his request.

"Thank you," she smiled back at him and walked in as he stood aside for her to pass. He shut the door behind her.

As she walked by, he said, "Chanel no. 1? What a classic choice, Miss Dubois." He gestured to an expensive-looking chair for her to sit. As she fumbled for words about his keen sense of smell, he added "I hope you enjoyed the crepes," and he sat down on the chair across from her.

"I did, I love crepes…though I'm sure you could assume as much from my heritage," Alouette laughed, hoping she didn't sound nervous. She fiddled with her watch before saying "Dr. Lecter, I have no idea how to repay you for everything you've done for me."

"Please, I asked you the other night to call me Hannibal, Miss Dubois," he said softly with a coy smile. She watched as his eyes traced her legs while she crossed them and found that she wasn't offended as she was with most men.

"Alright, but then you must call me Alouette, Hannibal," she teased back.

"Very well, Alouette," he smiled at her and stood, walking over to his desk where a small, plastic container sat. She loved the way her name tumbled from his lips; it was probably the sexiest thing she had ever heard in her life. He brought the container back over to where she was sitting and she saw several crackers with some type of meat on top. "Braised ox lung?"

It was probably the strangest thing she had ever been offered, but Ally was never one to step down when faced with a new food. She loved to try new things; her appreciation of all food came from her mother, who had been an excellent cook. Hannibal smiled as she reached in and took one. He watched for her reaction as she bit and chewed. It was slightly saltier than she would have preferred, but very tasty nonetheless. She had never tasted lung before, but it held a strange taste as the sausage had at the hotel. Perhaps her taste buds were just changing. "It's delicious."

Hannibal smiled, helping himself to one as well. "Good. Anyways, as we were saying, you don't owe me anything, Alouette. I helped you the other night because I wanted to. There is no other reason, and the last thing I want is for you to feel as though you are indebted to me in some way."

Alouette just looked at him for a moment, unsure of what to say. Since when did men act like this, without an agenda of their own or seeking some type of instant gratification for every act they performed? She had been dubious of men's motives for most of her life. Would Hannibal be the one who would prove wrong everything she had ever known? Or was he simply too good to be true?

**Note** Thanks for reading, folks. Reminder: Please review! It seriously takes like less than a minute! Trust me, you should try it (:


	3. The Inquisitive Doctor

**Note** Thanks to you who have reviewed the series so far! I really appreciate it. I have finished planning it all out, and it will be about 25 chapters give or take. I will probably end up updating more than once a week at the rate I'm currently writing. On a roll here, people! Woohoo! I know that the pace of the story is a bit slower than others, but I want the characters to fully develop. Thanks again for reading! Disclaimer: I still don't own Dr. Lecter :/

….

He watched Alouette, her shimmering blonde hair just reaching the top of her breasts, which accentuated her cleavage in the black top she wore. Hannibal had to admit, she cleaned up very nicely, and he was impressed by her style. She wore her perfume properly, unlike so many women these days that just sprayed it on so it stunk up the whole room. Once again, he found himself surprised at how attracted he was to her. Of course he had been around many attractive women in his life, but she was different somehow. Perhaps it was her petite frame that would be so easy to overpower or the feminine shape of her face. Or, perhaps it was simply his hunger getting the better of him. Whatever his desires were, he would have to be smart about them.

After all, he couldn't just pursue his hobby every day. A murder or so a week was somewhat accepted in the crime-ridden Baltimore, but Hannibal was careful not to attract too much attention from the press. He thought about the front desk attendant at the hotel, whose nametag had read Marie. He waited until she was walking out to her car for the night, then snuck up behind her and knocked her out. He drove and then carried her to the middle of a forest, far from the hotel. Hannibal vaguely remembered her being heavier than Alouette. After tying the woman to a small tree, he dumped a bottle of water on her to wake her up.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" She screamed, her soaked red hair clinging to her face. She looked up at Hannibal, finally recognizing him from the hotel, through her drugged haze. "You know they have cameras there, right! You are a fucking maniac!" Of course, Hannibal had been sure to attack where he knew the cameras weren't in range. The entire attack had been so easy; it was child's play for him, and simply second nature.

"And you are a very rude young woman." As he softly spoke, he unbuttoned her blouse to reveal a black bra, and the fact that it unhooked from the front made his task much easier. She tried to scream again as he made a long incision along her sternum. He smashed her head into the tree to get her to stop, no longer caring if she was awake while she bled out. Hannibal peeled back her flesh and watched, delighted, while the lungs slowed down before his eyes. He took them both and placed them in the small cooler he brought with him to the forest.

He had never intended for Alouette to consume them, but the fact that she did was an undeniable plus. Though she was oblivious to the fact that she had indeed tasted human lung, she clearly had an adventurous palate to try "ox" lung. This was yet another thing about her that intrigued him. For a moment he thought of what it would be like if she knowingly consumed his victims along his side, but banished the thought from his mind. He had long ago accepted the fact that no one could be both sane and comprehend his lifestyle.

He felt dominant over her as he watched her eat the lung he had harvested the night before, the lungs that should have been hers. The power he felt over her was a drug, and he wanted more of it with each passing second. He wanted to watch her to eat more of his delicacies while smiling his secrets at her. It was agony to sit there with his prey while she crossed her legs in a way that evoked such sexual tension in him. But he had to control himself; now wasn't the right time nor place.

"So what brings you here today Alouette. Did you really just come to thank me or is there more? Would you like to talk about whatever you were running from?" He had to keep his mind on something else, even though all he could picture was his able hands cutting open her ivory flesh.

She hesitated for a moment, looking down at her hands before her deep blue eyes met his once more. In the look she gave him, he had an intense feeling that the Alouette he had been talking to only a few seconds before was a great façade and there were many secrets swimming in those blue pools of hers. The Alouette looking at him now didn't look like the woman who was panicked and afraid of her attacker. Hannibal didn't think he could be intrigued by a person more than he was by Will Graham, but suddenly Alouette was certainly giving Will a run for his money. He studied her expression and witnessed her darker side disappear while she became guarded once more. She was extremely well at hiding whatever her secret was, and if it weren't for that one look she gave Hannibal, he wouldn't have known it existed it all. He knew that until he knew her secrets, she would drive him mad. He could appreciate a good enigma more than anyone else he knew.

Guarded once more, she answered, "I don't know if I'm quite ready to talk about it."

Hannibal nodded his understanding, though his insides were screaming at him to find out. "Did you inform the police?"

"Yes, I have…But I've found that they always seem to come in and help when it's too late."

"So, you have had an experience similar to the other night before," Hannibal prodded.

She bit her lip and hesitated once again, and he knew she was cursing herself for saying too much. He loved watching every moment of her emotional struggle. "A few times." Before he could ask anything else on the subject, she said, "You know, you reminded me of a boy from my childhood. He went to the same boarding school I did in Paris. He was Lithuanian, and I remember his beautiful accent to this day."

Could Alouette really have gone to the same school he had attended for those few short years? "What a coincidence, I, in fact, also attended a boarding school in Paris." He stood and walked to his desk, shuffling through a few papers to find the drawing that he had shown Jack Crawford only a few weeks earlier. He walked back over to Alouette and handed her the drawing, putting his hands in the pockets of his pants as she studied it. "Does this building look familiar at all?"

"It's exactly how I remember it!" she said, laughing a bit. "I'm blown away, and this is such an amazing drawing…you must draw often."

"Thank you, Alouette. I draw on occasion; at times it allows my mind to wander." He smirked at her. "Well I suppose this means that I was the shy Lithuanian boy you remember. I am regretful to say that I don't remember many of my classmates." Hannibal smiled at her once more, but inside was utterly shocked upon finding this coincidence. He hadn't killed anyone during his time at boarding school, but his first victim had fallen prey to him just before he started his schooling. He could scarcely wrap his mind around the fact that Alouette had known him before he had completely evolved into the killer he was at present.

"I can barely believe this!" She laughed and her cheeks grew rosier with her next confession: "I remember that my friend, Ivy, and I both had little crushes on you. I remember she once dared me to talk to you after school. I can't remember what you said to me though. We were never even in classes together; you were always so bright, advancing before anyone else in our year. I don't think you even knew my name." She was talking fast, obviously excited at their newfound revelation.

Hannibal, however, had very different feelings on the subject. He hated dwelling on the past, although it shaped who he had become. He didn't like hearing about the boy he once was and the fleeting moments in the schoolyard with the other children. It made him feel uncomfortable to be faced with someone he would no longer recognize as himself. He decided to keep the subject on her so that he wouldn't be ambushed with more memories of his past.

"When did you graduate from the boarding school?" he asked her, as she handed his drawing back to him.

"I actually after the first year you were at the school and attended a private college preparatory school here in Baltimore. I really disliked it at first; this city is so different from the magic of Paris, as I'm sure you can easily see as well." She laughed to herself once more, and Hannibal decided that she had a pleasant smile. "I absolutely hated my first home here. It was in the heart of the city, and I remember wondering how we would fit our furniture through the narrow doorways. It was nothing like our flat in Paris, nowhere near as grand."

"Yes, they certainly have a different architecture here. Did you at least like the school you attended?" Hannibal asked.

"For the most part, yes. I met my best friend there, and I don't know what I would do without her. I set a few records for our school's long distance running team, was on the prom court and student council, and graduated with honors. I suppose I had the typical American high school experience that I expected when moving from Paris."

"Sounds like you left quite the mark," Hannibal complimented. She truly did seem like she led the typical teenage life; how could someone so simple intrigue him so much? Had he simply imagined the secret-packed look that she had given him earlier? Perhaps her secrets lay further ahead on her timeline. He cued her by asking "Where did you attend university?"

"Johns Hopkins, like nearly everyone else at my high school."

Hannibal smiled again, impressed that she had gone to another of his alma maters, especially one so prestigious. "I attended Johns Hopkins for medical school as well."

"Well I'm sure you graduated long before I did, with your fast advancement through the grades in Paris," she commented. "It was a lovely school, though I probably indulged a little too much in the party scene; I still find myself regretting that at times. If it wasn't for the parties, I would've never met my husband." Once again, she looked away from his eyes, and he knew that she was thinking she had once more said too much to him.

Hannibal was confused. She regretted meeting her husband at the parties? Since when did she have a husband, anyways? But her darker side had made an appearance again, which proved he hadn't been mistaken the first time. "I apologize for addressing you as Miss Dubois," he said. "I had no idea that you were married."

"Well, I'm not married anymore. It lasted about five years or so before things went south. We had moved to Maine together and planned on starting a family. When things fell apart I moved back here; I've been back in the Baltimore area for about two years now."

Hannibal was suddenly able to put two and two together. "I am sorry to hear things did not work out. Does the situation from a few nights ago, by chance, have anything to do with your former marriage?" Her silence meant that he had uncovered the truth. "Are you certain you don't want to tell me the rest of the story? I've found through discussions with my patients that talking about these traumatic events can be very therapeutic. In fact, that is the entire foundation of clinical psychology."

"I think I've had enough talking about it for one day," she said, standing. "Perhaps another time, . I really should be going, your lunch break must be about finished now."

"Please Alouette, it's Hannibal, not Dr." he said, correcting her once more. "And if not now, perhaps over dinner at my home?" Alouette didn't answer at first, so Hannibal added "Alouette, you asked how you could repay me for what I did for you, and this is how. Please, let me cook for you on Saturday night. If you are still uncomfortable talking about the other night, then we will not touch the subject."

She smiled a bit. "I suppose I have no choice. Saturday night, then." She picked up her purse and he opened the door for her.

"I'll have Anita give you my address on your way out. I'm glad you stopped by today, Alouette." He gave her one last smile before she said goodbye and left. Closing the door behind her, he called Anita at the front desk to ensure that Alouette was given directions to his home. He realized that his decision to invite her over had been made in the heat of the moment while her secrets were tantalizing him. Still it would open yet another door for him to strike. Hannibal watched from his office window as she walked to her car. It would be only three days until they next met, and Hannibal knew deep down that he would have a hard time keeping his mind off of her until then.

….

**Note** Hopefully I surprised some of you with that twist about the Paris boarding school! Now, we all know that Hannibal is hungry for Alouette…but you know what I crave? Some reviews! Haha big thanks to those who have already submitted them!


	4. Dreams and Ice Cream

**Note** Thanks to those who continue to read my fic and have reviewed! Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from _Hannibal._

…

After Ally returned home from her interaction with Hannibal at his office, she needed a big glass of wine to get her thoughts straight. She polished off the rest of her Pinot Noir the other night, and decided to open a bottle of Merlot. Her love of wine was something she brought from France with her; the boarding school she had attended even offered a wine appreciation class.

She sat down on the couch and noticed that a tiny bit of dust had settled over her end table. The last time she cleaned had been the night when Hannibal saved her. Usually the dust would have put her into a cleaning frenzy; she was a bit OCD when it came to keeping her house spotless. However, all she felt like doing lately was sitting back on her comfortable sofa and letting her mind drift back to Hannibal once more. Promising herself she would clean the next day after getting home from work, she sipped a bit more of her wine.

Ally could barely believe that he was the boy she had admired in Paris, though looking back, she was surprised she hadn't remembered a couple of days ago upon first meeting him. Then again, her mind _had_ been preoccupied with some pretty somber issues. She would have never expected to meet Hannibal again in life; she would have just assumed that he would still be living in Paris or somewhere in Europe, not that he crossed her mind much, or really at all, before. Now, however, he was all she could think about.

The fact that Hannibal kept bringing up her ex-husband did make Alouette a bit uncomfortable, but it was her own fault for saying too much. She assumed that he was just curious and probably trying to help her get past her situation, as a psychiatrist and whatnot. Regardless, she didn't really want to talk about her problems with him over dinner at his house. She wanted to talk about Hannibal and his life; he kept her so busy talking about hers while she visited him at his practice, but he barely shared anything of his own. Alouette found that she had a deep desire to know everything about him that she could. And if he didn't want to talk, she would certainly be open to partaking in some more physical activities with the handsome Dr. Lecter.

Ally was suddenly itching to tell someone about her new male interest, so she hopped in her car and drove to Shelly's after changing into shorts and a sweatshirt and piling her blonde hair into a messy bun on top of her head. They were the kind of friends that never tried to impress each other with expensive make-up and clothes, simply saving that sort of flattery for the men.

"Hey Lou," Shelly called her by the nickname she had given Alouette in their Junior year of high school when she moved to the U.S. She stood the door, her curly brown hair gorgeous as always. Ally supposed that her hair was both the result of good genes and her profession as a hairstylist.

Shelly held a container of Ben & Jerry's in one hand and a spoon in the other; she had always been the type of girl to eat whatever kind of crap junk food she wanted because her metabolism was out of this world. Alouette was also naturally skinny, but rarely indulged in the American junk food classics; she cared just as much about her inner health as she did for her outer health and thought of anything that wasn't homemade as toxic to her system. However, to every rule there are some exceptions. Ben & Jerry's, the Holy Grail of all ice cream, was one of them. "You're just in time for Half-Baked." Shelly shook the container.

Alouette smiled as her friend stood to the side and allowed her to step inside. Immediately Alouette was surrounded by Shelly's three Siberian Huskies, all looking at her with bright blue eyes that were similar to her own. "Leave her alone, ya mutts!" She scolded them. "They wouldn't leave poor Tigger alone the other day," Shelly said, as she walked over to her animal hair-covered couch and petted the small orange kitten sitting on it.

That was another thing about Shelly which was polar opposite of Alouette: the animal addiction. If she didn't have at least ten pets at once, she needed another one. Along with the three dogs and the kitten, she also had a lizard, two turtles, a frog, and a huge fish tank. Shelly's lifestyle was nothing like Alouette's; she could never simply sit there and let animals run rampant, destroying her furniture and carpets, even though she too liked animals. Ally just happened to like a clean house more. Shelly never really followed the norm though; she was the rebel in their high school that went on to get her cosmetology degree instead of attending a prestigious university for business, healthcare, or law. In fact, Shelly was so unlike Alouette, they might have never been friends if their families weren't already close.

Alouette realized that she didn't tell Dr. Lecter about the fact that she moved from Paris alone, in an arrangement between her family and Shelly's. She lived at Shelly's parents' cramped house all throughout her time at the private school in Baltimore. Ally had also failed to mention _why_ she moved from Paris, though she doubted she would ever tell him that story either.

"So, _The Bachelor, The Voice, _or _Grey's Anatomy_?" Shelly asked, opening her laptop and pulling up Netflix in the browser.

"You pick," said Alouette, her mind still concentrated on her childhood memories. Shelly handed her a bowl of the ice cream and they sat together on the hairy couch. "So, I met a guy."

"What happened to Snotty?" Shelly smirked.

Oh yes. Eric Snoddgrass. Her coworker that was so persistent in asking her out. Ally really had nothing against Eric, albeit his annoying persistence, but always had the idea that dating coworkers would produce a situation with a conflict of interests, especially if things went south. "His name is Eric, Shelly," though she giggled at her friend's nickname for him. "And like I said, I just don't think it's right to date coworkers."

"If there was a guy at the hair salon that was straight, I would date him. I would love to have someone do my hair for me every morning," Shelly smirked, putting a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. Alouette gave her a dirty look and Shelly laughed. "Alright, alright, tell me about your new Mr. Right."

"He is probably the hottest man alive, for one."

Shelly snorted. "Please….you can't be serious. Hottter than Ryan Gosling?"

"Better."

"No way…Better than….DiCaprio?" Shelly named Alouette's biggest Hollywood crush of all time.

Alouette sighed. "Better than Leo." Shelly looked at her in shock. "He has the sexiest accent in the world. And get this…he went to my _school_."

"There wasn't anyone with an incredibly sexy accent at Calvert," Shelly said, giving her an incredulous look.

"No. In Paris! My boarding school."

"No way! That's crazy, Lou. Where does he work?"

"He has his own psychiatry practice here in Baltimore."

"Ah so he likes the crazies…now I see why he's been flirting with you." Alouette gave Shelly another death stare that she laughed at. "No really, that's great Lou. He must be rich, you gotta hold on to a man with money. Where did you meet, anyways?"

Ally had rehearsed this lie many times in her head on her way over to Shelly's house: "I got a flat tire the other night and he stopped to help me. I saw him at his practice to thank him, and now I'm going to dinner at his house on Saturday night."

"God, Alouette, why do you have the most perfect life?"

If only she knew.

…

"Hey! Don't you want to play with us?!" Raoul Hoareau, the most arrogant and popular kid in school shouted loudly while he walked down the stone of the boarding school. Everyone in the yard turned to look as Raoul bounded down the stairs, his tennis racquet in hand and small posse behind him.

"What's wrong, Hannibal? Afraid you'll lose as badly as you did before?" Raoul taunted him.

Hannibal was about to open his mouth in smart retort, but a small voice behind him said, "He can't play with you today Raoul, because he is going with me to the library today." Hannibal turned to the source of the voice, and a small girl with her blonde hair in a plait gave him a pointed look with bright blue eyes. "Aren't you?"

"Come on Ally...you can't be serious," Raoul scoffed.

"Why wouldn't I be? Come on, let's go," She took his arm and led him back up the steps to the school.

Once inside and out of the view of the other children, Hannibal stopped and spoke in near perfect French, "Why did you do that?"

She shrugged. "I don't like being around Raoul or his friends any more than the next person. I'm sure you don't either."

"You're certainly right about that." He didn't know quite what to say, and when faced with the awkward situation, he found he just wanted to go back to his room and lose his thoughts in a book or two. The two awkward teens stood there for a moment, and Hannibal stuck his hands in his pockets. "Well, it was nice meeting you," he forced smiled at her and left her standing in the hall alone, doubting very much that he would ever see her again.

…

Hannibal tossed and turned in his silk sheets until finally getting out of bed and putting on his robe over his gray boxers. He stood at the window and looked up into the sky, as the full moon flooded the room with light. Hannibal glanced at his watch sitting on his nightstand that read 4:00 a.m.

His mind drifted once more to his dream, and there was no doubt in his mind that it had been a true memory. He was surprised that he didn't remember Alouette earlier, especially with his impeccable memory. As he pondered that day of his childhood once more and he remembered more of the night that followed, he realized why his memory of their introduction had been clouded. It was that night that he had been accepted into Johns Hopkins University for medical school the following year. He remembered how excited he had been, as well as how eager he was to attempt leaving his past behind him. No one at the school was important to him when all he could think about was his bright future as a doctor.

Hannibal found it incredibly ironic that it had been so easy to ignore Alouette then and it was nearly impossible at the present. However, he found that his reasons for wanting to take her life were quickly evolving. In the beginning, it was just to keep the promise he had made himself that night as he dropped her off at the hotel. Now it was because she would forever remind him of the past. However, the curiosity he felt for her secrets had yet to vanish. At any rate, it was finally Saturday, and Hannibal had to admit he was looking forward to see what would unfold during their next encounter.

…

The doorbell rang and Hannibal checked his appearance in the hallway mirror one last time before answering. She greeted him with a smile and a short red dress that matched her loud red lipstick. He breathed in her sweet Chanel no. 1 once more as he invited her in. "Alouette, you look positively divine."

She blushed and thanked him, complimenting his suit. He closed the door behind her and his eyes traced her shapely features before leading her through his home and into the dining room. He pulled out her chair for her at the table and she sat, looking up at him with her sapphire eyes. "Dinner will be just a few moments longer."

"It smells absolutely delicious," she said with her pretty smile. "I can barely wait."

_Nor can I, Alouette._

**Note** So far, I've had the most fun writing this chapter; I really liked creating the contrast between Shelly and Alouette. Hope you liked it as well(:


	5. Dinner is Served

Alouette looked around the stylishly designed dining room while well-dressed Hannibal retreated to the kitchen through a double door. There was beautiful wood paneling on the walls, and she sat across from a stone fireplace. On the table, he had lit several candles. Hannibal came back through the door a few moments later. "I apologize, I forgot to ask if you wanted a red or white wine with dinner."

"Dry red, please," Alouette said. She couldn't stand sweet wines, always preferring those with more robust flavor.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Perhaps you would like to come and look at my selection and choose one for yourself?"

She stood and followed his towering frame to the kitchen, where the food's aroma was even stronger. "These are a few wines I brought up from the cellar that I thought may pair nicely with our courses this evening." There were about twenty bottles lined up on the counter in front of her.

She smirked. "A few?" Alouette walked closer to examine each. She was torn between the Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Knowing from the smells in the kitchen that they would be eating meat of some kind, she chose the Cabernet Sauvignon.

"I commend you for your choice, Alouette. Many women wouldn't tolerate such a dry wine."

"Perhaps _American _women," Alouette pointed out.

He took the bottle from her small hands and inserted a wine opener into the cork. He twisted it free and brought the bottle to her nose. "This wine is very floral, can you pick out the scents?"

"Violet," Alouette said, sure of that one at least. "Definitely woody tones in there as well."

Hannibal then smelled it for himself. "Definitely. Beautiful choice, Alouette." They made their way back to the living room and he poured her a generous glass of her chosen wine and then one for himself.

He went to the kitchen once more and returned with two artfully-plated salads and Alouette realized that this would likely be a five course meal. What an overachiever.

She took a few small bites of the salad, which was covered in light, lemony vinaigrette. Ally took a drink of her wine and sighed. "This is the best wine I've tasted in a very long time."

He smiled at her from across the table, before taking a sip himself. "I'm glad you are enjoying it. So, Alouette, do your parents live in Baltimore?"

"No, they are in France…I moved here to go to boarding school alone."

"And why was that, if you loved the academy in Paris so dearly?"

"I suppose I simply needed to experience something new," Ally lied, careful not to say much more. "But my parents stayed there. My father, Remy, was a CEO of a company so he had to stay in Paris for work. And my mother would never leave him to come live with me. It was quite the adventure though, moving by myself and all." He was staring at her intently, and she knew that he was trying to study her. For whatever reason, it irked her. It wasn't as though she wasn't one of his patients, so why was he trying to analyze her?

"I, too, moved to the U.S. alone when I came to medical school. You never told me, Alouette, what did you pursue a degree in at Johns Hopkins?"

"Dietetics," she answered. "Now I work at the Johns Hopkins hospital. I always wanted to work in healthcare, but I'm too squeamish to be a nurse or doctor."

"Well I hope you approve of the nutritional content of our meal," he smirked. "Do you enjoy your career?"

She shrugged. "It's alright. I have always loved nutrition so it seems like a good fit. But whatever enjoyment I don't get from work, I find it in other places."

"I suppose I feel the same about my psychiatry practice." He stood and said, "Please excuse me while I prepare our next course." Hannibal picked up her cleared salad plate before going back to the kitchen.

He returned a few moments later, this time with a white plate of small toasts, garnished with rosemary. "For our next course, we will be having warm goat cheese toasts with rosemary, walnuts, and honey."

She absolutely adored the appetizer, and appreciated the fact that Hannibal was using so many fine ingredients for their dinner. She found herself wishing he could cook for her all the time. "So, you were talking about finding enjoyment in other places, Alouette. Where might those be?"

Ally paused before answering so she could finish chewing her toast. "Well, as you saw the other night, I run often."

"It's very important to stay physically active. Trust me, it shows that you do," he said in a flirty way.

She fought back the blush that she felt creeping to her cheeks. "Thank you," she said, giving him a small smile and suddenly feeling much more confident in her small dress. "Besides running, I play the violin, clean, and occasionally bake when the mood strikes me."

"You play the violin? You are truly a woman of many surprises," Hannibal said, his full lips curving into a smile. "It is such a beautiful instrument; I would love to hear you play sometime. Or perhaps taste some of your baking."

She fumbled for words; playing for others always made her nervous, which is why she never played for an orchestra. Ally couldn't imagine how nervous she would be to play for a handsome man like Hannibal. "I'm really not that good…"

"I believe you are just being modest, Alouette."

He got their third course: a fava bean soup. She was already getting full and they hadn't even received the main dish yet. "So, Hannibal, what do you do when you aren't at your practice? Besides cooking these amazing meals, of course."

"You flatter me; cooking has long been a great passion of mine. As you saw the other day with the ox lung, I enjoy experimenting with somewhat nontraditional ingredients in the kitchen. I often draw, enjoy music and good wine, and hunt occasionally."

"What do you like to hunt?" Alouette inquired. Her father had been an avid hunter as well. "Deer?"

"Something of the sort," Hannibal smiled and rose once more. "Are you ready for our main course, Alouette?"

She was confused with his vague answer to her question, but nodded.

"I present you with my own take on beouf bourguignon," he placed another beautifully plated dish of food in front of her. She suddenly realized that each of the courses was French, and that he must have designed this dinner with her in mind. She was blown away with his romantics; no man had ever treated her this way.

She sliced the meat thin and took a small amount on her fork. He watched her intently with a small smile on his face as she took the first bite. An explosion of tastes filled her mouth; a genius combination of spices perfectly balanced the taste of the meat. The meat, once again, held a different taste for her than she was used to, but was delightful nonetheless. She took another drink of her wine, finishing off her glass.

"It's breathtaking, Hannibal," she said, her blue eyes resting on his brown ones.

"I am so glad you're enjoying it, Alouette. Would you like another glass of wine?"

She nodded, and his long arm extended the bottle across the table and filled her glass once more.

…..

It was such a thrill, watching her eat his dishes. The fact that she was a dietitian even added a little extra irony to the night, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He longed to ask her how nutritious she thought eating human meat may be. He watched her intently as she brought each bite of the tender meat up to her small red lips. Hannibal downed the last of his wine and poured himself another glass, wondering where the night may take them next.

He had enjoyed their simple banter about hobbies, and was honestly intrigued about the fact she played the violin. Hannibal meant what he said when he told her she was full of surprises. Besides the fact that she wasn't a serial killer, she wasn't so unlike him after all. He had been worried that seeing her would constantly remind him of his childhood, but as he learned more about her, that wasn't the case. Surprisingly, Hannibal's desire to kill her that night had been almost completely banished as he observed her undeniably perfect table etiquette. She wasn't just a woman, she was a true _lady. _Tonight he found that he was more in tune with his manly, sexual needs and was simply enjoying her company.

"One more course," he assured her, while clearing her plate from in front of her. He went into his kitchen and placed the dishes in the sink before garnishing his blackberry mousse with some fresh mint and whipped cream.

He relished the ways her eyes widened at the sight of dessert, and realized that she had already finished her second glass of wine. Unfortunately, after each of them had two glasses, the bottle was empty. "Would you like to switch to a different wine? Perhaps something more crisp and refreshing for dessert?"

She said that it sounded lovely, so he fetched a bottle of Riesling from his kitchen, as well as two white wine glasses. "I didn't think I could eat another bite, but this dessert is absolutely divine," she complimented him once more as he poured her another glass of wine.

"Thank you, Alouette. If it is as divine as you say, then it certainly suits you," he gave her a cocky smirk and watched her reaction from across the table. A rose blush sprawled across her pearly skin and she giggled happily. The wine was obviously getting to her and Hannibal found her tipsy state somewhat charming.

Allouette finished dessert and pushed her chair away from the table. "I'll help you with the dishes," she offered.

"No, you are my guest, I will not let you do my housework for me," Hannibal said. "In fact, I can leave them until the morning."

"No, no. I want to help!" Alouette stood and took a few moments to gain her balance, obviously affected by the wine in her system. He followed her into the kitchen and started running the water. Originally, she was going to scrub the dishes while he dried them and put them away, but she kept accidentally splashing water on her beautiful red lace dress.

"Let us switch jobs, Alouette. You're getting yourself all wet."

She mumbled so softly under her breath he could barely make out what she was saying: "It's not just the water getting me wet."

He smirked as his body was suddenly flooded with sexual desires upon hearing her words. He handed her the towel and she took it, moving to the other side of the sink.

"Wait!" she said with such urgency as his hands moved toward the soapy water. "Let me roll your sleeves up for you."

He watched her amusedly as she unbuttoned the bottom of his blue shirt sleeve and carefully rolled it up to his elbow. She repeated the process for the other side, and the sensation of her soft fingers brushing his arm was tempting him even further. "Am I ready for the dishes?" he asked her in a teasing manner.

She nodded her approval, "You're all good, doc."

It took only ten minutes to finish the task. After they were finished, she said "Thanks for letting me help; that would have really bothered me, knowing there were a ton of dishes in here for you to take care of."

She was such an odd person at times. "I have no idea why you are thanking me, Alouette, when I should be the one thanking you."

"You can thank me in other ways," she said, her voice once more dropping to a nearly inaudible level. Hannibal decided that he enjoyed this tipsy version of Alouette just as much as he did the sober one.

He leaned in close to her, close enough to smell her sweet skin. "What was that, Alouette?"

She giggled once more and moved away from him. "Nothing, Hannibal. Let's drink more wine." Alouette retreated back to the dining room and poured another glass for herself and Hannibal.

He took it from her, though doubt he would drink any more. His head was starting to be fuzzy and he liked to be in full control of his actions with none of his instincts muted. "Let's sit outside and enjoy the night." He offered her his arm and she took it, leading her out to his back porch. They sat on his wooden swing with his arm around her bare shoulders, shielding her from the cool breeze. She leaned her head against his shoulder and her hair smelled of vanilla and lavender. For a fleeting moment, Hannibal thought to himself, _I could get used to this._


	6. Secrets and Wine

**Note** Alright so although Alouette can speak French, I can't. I'm in the process of learning. Soo I'm not going to put French in here and then get lectured about my crappy grammar. Try and use your imaginations and pretend it's in French when I imply it to be(: Here's another big thanks to those who have reviewed/favorited/followed the story!

…

Ally absolutely loved this; she was in complete heaven. Hannibal's large, warm hand rested on her shoulder as she leaned against him. The breeze blew her hair around but for once she didn't try and fix it. She was just too at peace in the moment to even want to move. Her mind was certainly buzzing and she took another sip of her wine.

Alouette spoke to him, switching to French without even realizing she had. The wine and her relaxed state likely had something to do with it. "You are too good to me, Dr. Lecter."

"I am flattered that you enjoyed your night so very much," Hannibal cooed back in French. "I certainly have as well."

She smiled against his shoulder as he played with her long blonde strands of hair. Ally had never felt safer in her life, or perhaps happier for that matter. "I suppose I still owe you an explanation of the other night," she began, still speaking French to him.

"Only if you are sure."

Ally thought about Hannibal for a moment, who had turned out to be the man of her dreams. Sweet, charming, a great cook, and undeniably sexy all rolled into one. She felt that she could trust him with anything, even though they had only known each other a short amount of time. There was just such a chemistry between them that she couldn't quite shake out of her mind. She looked up at his handsome cheekbones and lips that were slightly parted. He looked down at her with his chocolate brown eyes, and she felt her secret-guarding walls disintegrate inside of her.

"I'm sure," she said. She leaned her head back on his shoulder. "Well, like I said before, Tom and I met at Johns Hopkins. He was in a fraternity, the type of guy that every girl liked. He was tan, tall, played sports, and came from a wealthy family. I got to know him through the parties; I had a few friends in sororities that would invite me to things from time to time. Tom asked me out and I fell for his charm. We got married after our junior year, but Tom was still too involved with the partying and got kicked out of the university after his grades dropped."

Alouette took another drink from glass of wine. "I finished my senior year and he waited for me. He just didn't care, because he assumed that his parents would just pay his way through life. I should have broken up with him then; I could see what a lazy, arrogant asshole he was, but I guess I just didn't out of pity and to be honest, I liked dating the rich, popular boy. I never had many boyfriends growing up and I just sort of assumed that he was what we women were supposed to strive for. But by then, I knew that Tom was unhappy with his life. His parents fought a lot as a kid before their divorce. His father remarried several times, each time to a younger wife. Tom also had one younger brother and an older one, who seemed to get the spotlight for their accomplishments while Tom was left in the dust and often ignored. So I think he dropped out from Johns Hopkins because he felt that it didn't matter what he did, his parents would never give him the attention he wanted."

"But why didn't he stay in school for you, Alouette? Didn't he want to show you that he could provide for you?" Hannibal seemed genuinely confused.

Alouette snorted. "Please, he never cared about what I thought. I was just a possession to him, nothing more." She downed the rest of her wine and asked if she could have another glass.

"I am not sure that is such a good idea," Hannibal warned her.

"I can handle myself," Alouette said, though she knew her words were beginning to slur. She reached for Hannibal's unfinished wine glass but he held it out of her reach.

He stroked her hair once more and said, "Please, Alouette, continue your story."

"Fine," she sighed, dropping her request for wine. "Well Tom kept the fact that he got kicked out a secret from his family for my entire senior year. We just lived in an apartment together and he did nothing during the day while I completed my full course load. He didn't even get a part time job, or anything. I remember being so angry with him at times, though I felt powerless to say anything. Graduation time rolled around and he couldn't keep it secret from his father anymore. After he found out, he cut off Tom from all his family's funds. We moved when I got a job at a hospital in Maine. After he drained the last of the bank account, he started to get very angry with me. He blamed me for shopping too much, even though if I ever went shopping or spent any kind of money, it was what I earned myself. He became a drunk, and increasingly violent."

"I am so sorry that you had to go through that, Alouette," Hannibal said while his free hand gravitated onto hers.

She loved the warmth of his skin and how his hand could easily cover the entirety of her small one. "It was so strange. One day everything seemed to change. He told me he had gotten a desk job, and that things would be better. He told me he wanted a family and that we could be happy again. He promised he would stop drinking." Alouette shook her head. "I was such a fool for believing anything he said. I should have left him so much earlier…Anyways, it took several attempts until I became pregnant. He actually began treating me right."

Tears began gathering in her eyes. It felt so bizarre to be telling all of this to another person, after keeping the memories bottled up for years. "One night, when I was only about one month along, he came home late, around ten or so. He reeked of alcohol. Tom had broken his promise to me about not drinking, and then had the nerve to get mad at me for not having something ready for him to eat when he got home. Well, I did have something ready, at six o'clock when he was supposed to have gotten home. We screamed our arguments at each other in our upstairs bedroom and when I turned to walk down the stairs, he pushed me and…and…" Alouette was beginning to break down, her sobs preventing her from speaking. She took a few moments to collect herself, and hiccupped before saying "And I landed on my stomach. I looked up at the top of the stairs and both Tom and I knew that our child was lost. I'll never forget that rage I saw in his eyes and I don't think anyone has ever hated me the way he did in that moment. Falling down the stairs had certainly knocked the wind out of me, but I was regaining my breath by the time we had both realized what happened. He started down the stairs for me and I jumped up and grabbed the keys to our only car, running out of the house as fast as I possibly could. I think that the fact we didn't have another car probably saved my life that night." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I drove for as long as I could, before running out of gas. I alerted the authorities, but all they did was tell Tom that he had to calm down; he was just too charming with other people. No one saw the side of him that I did. I only scraped the surface when telling Shelly what happened. I told her that he had gotten violent with me, though she assumed that this had been the first incidence. Her boyfriend at the time, Matt, went with her and I to get my things from the house while he was at work one day. Ever since then, I've been living in Baltimore, though he found out through our friends that I moved back here. During the divorce trial, I was an idiot and didn't bring any of this up. I think I was just scared and wanted it over. I just want it to be over…" her voice cracked again and she cried on his beautiful blue shirt even more.

"I am so sorry for the way he hurt you, Alouette. No woman deserves treatment such as that to any extent," his hand tightened on hers. "If he ever comes near you again, I want you to let me know."

"The problem is, I don't know when he's going to attack next," she said. "And no one can protect me. I have a restraining order and he breaks it all the damn time."

He tilted her chin up so his eyes started directly into her red ones, puffy from her tears. "I am promising you right now, Alouette, I will not let him hurt you."

Ally's heart beat violently against her chest. She wanted so desperately to believe him, but no one had been able to help her so far. In his gaze, she felt entirely safe. But what would happen when she was home alone? How could he protect her then? It was just completely unrealistic, and while her mind kept screaming at her that it was a meaningless promise that he was making, her heart believed every word of it.

…

Hannibal let go of Alouette's chin as she wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry about your shirt," she said.

"The shirt is meaningless," Hannibal said, incredulous that she would even apologize for such a thing after revealing so much of herself to him. He couldn't believe that the small, beautiful woman sitting beside him had been through so much when he had judged her to be so simple before. He wondered how she hid the pain so well, to the point where it only surfaced in small traces. He found that he truly admired her emotional strength.

Hannibal had meant what he said about Tom. He had never felt so much hate for someone he barely met and wanted to hunt him down and tear him to shreds for what he had done to her. "Thank you for telling me Alouette."

"I'm glad I finally found the strength to tell someone. By strength I mean enough wine," she smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I should take you home, you are in no condition to drive."

She nodded and stood, wobbling for a moment in her heels. Hannibal stood with her and offered his arm to help her walk. Once they got inside, she leaned against the couch. "I can't stand these goddamn shoes anymore," she said, taking them off to reveal her little feet that could be no larger than size six.

Hannibal just looked at her for a moment. He traced her entire body with his eyes, beginning from her feet and up her slender legs, her trim waist, her generous breasts, the slight curve of her neck, and finally her face. At that moment, all he wanted in the world was to take her to his bedroom and make passionate love to her, spoiling every part of her body. He wanted to prove to her that a man could take care of a woman, unselfishly and without question. But he also knew he was a hypocrite for thinking such thoughts; had he not been the one who had seen that night as another opportunity to strike? He knew that it was too dangerous for both of them at the moment; he couldn't allow himself to take her that night. However, he figured there couldn't be anything wrong with a little taste of what may come.

He moved towards her, sliding his left arm around her waist and tilting her face in his right hand. The feeling of her soft lips on hiss was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Sure, he had kissed women, but it never evoked emotion with him before. He had never felt this happy being physically close to anyone. Alouette kissed him back and Hannibal felt a nearly overwhelming urge to do to everything that had been on his mind only moments before. He wanted his hands to feel every inch of her and he longed to feel her hands on his own body. With every ounce of self-control that he had, Hannibal pulled away. She gave him a pouting look and he smirked at her, "It's past your bedtime, Alouette."

**Note** Hope you enjoyed my little warm fuzzy chapter! So many secrets revealed! Review? Pretty please?


	7. Sleepless Nights

**Note** Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from _Hannibal_.

Hannibal arrived at Alouette's home and shut the car off. She looked at him and smiled. "Thank you Hannibal." Her voice was pretty slurred by that time.

He got out of the car and walked around to her side, opening the door for her. She used his arm to stabilize herself as she walked to the front door and unlocked it. Alouette threw her shoes in a pile by the door and gripped the railing as she walked up her wooden staircase. Hannibal followed closely behind her, in case she lost her balance.

Finally, they reached her bedroom. She told him she was going to the bathroom and Hannibal went downstairs to get her a glass of water for the night to dilute some of the alcohol in her system. It felt strange for him to be taking care of someone, that was for sure. He wandered into her kitchen which was a lot smaller than his, but he could tell she had a passion for food from the large assortment of baking and cooking supplies that he saw in her cabinets while attempting to find one that contained glasses. He finally found what he was looking for, and filled up the large glass in the sink.

She was sitting up on her blue bedspread when he walked back upstairs. "I thought you may want some water," he said, putting the glass on her night table.

"Thank you for everything Hannibal," she thanked him again and smiled up at him, pulling on his long shirt sleeve so he knelt down in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her. He could still smell the sweet Riesling on her breath. She kissed him again, this time pressing her lips against him a little more forcefully. He desperately wanted more of her, and knew that her affections were becoming somewhat of a drug to his system. But at the same time, Hannibal knew that his mind was just too conflicted to go any further. How could he so easily take advantage of other women that he intended to kill, but held himself back when it came to Alouette? He knew the answer to this question; it meant that he felt something real for Alouette that wasn't just passion and lust. Knowing that made him entirely too uncomfortable, and he couldn't handle the realization. Hannibal's mind was spinning with thoughts and he pulled away from her.

"Won't you stay, Hannibal?" She asked him with her endearing slur, tilting her beautiful head to the side. Yes, he desperately wanted to, but he wouldn't let himself give in to her any further.

"Alouette, you need to rest," he stood even though she gave him another pouty look. "Goodnight Alouette." He tempted himself as he kissed her forehead and left her room, softly closing the door behind him. He locked the front door on his way out, and started the mile long walk back to his house, his hands in his pockets. He didn't mind the walk that bringing her back in her car had created; it would hopefully give him time to organize his thoughts.

Hannibal realized that the events of that night had changed everything for him. He thought about everything he now knew about her. Hannibal adored her knowledge of wine, loved her willingness to eat anything he put in front of her, yearned to hear her play her violin or speak more French to him, and found nearly everything about her to be absolutely charming. He wanted to sit next to her while she slept and watch her all night. Upon hearing about her ex, Tom, he wanted more than anything to protect her, even though he knew that it made him a hypocrite. Only hours earlier, had he not fantasized about her blood pooling around her small body? Nevertheless, his desire to kill her had completely fled as he took care of her that night. But how could Hannibal be sure that his desires to harm her were gone for good? He had never been so captivated by a person in his entire life, and he had certainly underestimated her when they first met. He could still feel the way she kissed him with soft lips and the way she wrapped her arms around him. He felt himself becoming increasingly drawn to her, and had the sinking feeling that whatever happened between them would undoubtedly end in sacrifice on his part. Either he would have to give up his entire lifestyle to be with her, or lose her. Hannibal wondered when he had become so weak and why he hadn't attempted to distance himself from her when he had the chance. He arrived home around two in the morning and went straight to bed, knowing that he would dream of her. There was simply no choice he had in the manner.

….

His prediction was true, he had dreamed of her. He followed her through the forest, and she wore the same red dress she had worn to dinner. She tiptoed around rocks and vines on bare feet, her blonde hair shimmering in the light that shone through the trees. "It's only a little further, Hannibal."

She grabbed his hand with her tiny fingers and skipped ahead a few paces. The breeze blew her hair into his face and he didn't mind. "Wait, Alouette." He stopped her and wrapped his hands around her small waist, bending down to kiss the back of her neck. She let his hands wander for a few moments before pulling away.

"We're going to be late," She laughed and pulled his hand. They walked for perhaps another fifteen minutes. Finally, she turned to him, looking satisfied. "He'll be here soon."

"Who?" Hannibal asked, tucking a strand of hair behind Alouette's ear.

"Tom, of course." She pulled him close to her, leaning her back against a tree. "I know what we can do in the meantime."

The sky turned dark, threatening storms. "We should go back, Alouette."

"No, we need to see Tom!" She insisted and began kissing his face. The feeling of her hands on his body seemed to mute any further objections he had. Her hands ran over his back and his own hands felt his way over her hips and up to her chest. Hannibal groaned and pressed his hips against hers. Their makeout session went on for another five minutes or so.

Suddenly, she made a little whimper and he stepped back from her to see what was wrong. He was terrified when he saw a knife sticking into her stomach, staining her dress a darker red. She looked up at him with her large blue eyes and said, "You promised to protect me."

Hannibal looked around frantically, and tried to put pressure on her to stop the bleeding. They were completely alone in the forest, there was no Tom to be found. "He isn't here, Alouette."

It took her a moment to register what he said before she looked at him in complete horror. "You did this," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "Why Hannibal?"

His attempts to control her blood loss were futile. "I didn't do this, I swear, Alouette," Hannibal said, even though he was starting to doubt himself. Had he been the one to hurt her? Had his killer instincts taken over without his notice?

"I know your secrets, Hannibal, I always knew it would come to this," she exhaled as she breathed her last breath and died in his arms.

….

Hannibal woke up, drenched in sweat. He flung off his comforter and took a quick shower. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping for the rest of that night after what he had seen and what he knew it meant. Hannibal had to find a way to distance himself from Alouette; he couldn't let himself get wrapped up in these emotions. He had known it from the beginning: there was no way that the two of them could ever work. How could she possibly be worth all the turmoil she caused him?

He sat in his study, drinking coffee and drawing scenes from his dream. When the clock finally told him that it was eight in the morning, he picked up the phone and called Dr. Du Maurier.

….

"This is certainly a surprise visit," the blonde commented as she opened the door and stood aside as Hannibal walked in.

"I appreciate your flexibility on such notice," Hannibal said. They walked into the familiar room and he took his usual spot on the couch across from her. He crossed his legs and looked out the window for a moment, trying to decide what exactly he wanted to tell her.

"So, Hannibal, what's on your mind?" Dr. Du Maurier asked, her piercing blue eyes staring at him intently. Hannibal always found her attractive, but she simply didn't hold the same warmth as Alouette.

"I have a new friend."

"Oh, really? I hope it's not another patient, Hannibal…That Will Graham situation became a bit complicated," she commented.

"She is not a patient."

"It's a she?" His psychiatrist raised an eyebrow. "So you're friends…are you interested in becoming romantically involved with this woman? Are you conflicted and therefore sought my opinion?"

"I am conflicted," Hannibal said. "As you know, I am not close to many people."

"I know," Dr. Du Maurier nodded. "Tell me about her."

He didn't know quite where to begin. "She plays the violin, enjoys good food and wine…She is so open with me." He decided to leave out the fact that they had actually met in childhood as well, figuring that it wasn't that important.

"Are you afraid that you won't be able to reciprocate her openness?" she asked. "It sounds as though you have quite a bit in common."

"That is part of it. There are some parts of me she may never know. I don't find it fair for her that I know so much of her and she knows so little of me. I worry that she will be blinded if she falls for me."

"It's up to you to decide if you're ready to tell her any secrets, Hannibal. But you must also find trust in her and, if she is good for you, she will still accept whatever you have to tell her. You have to remind yourself that her life isn't perfect and she isn't without faults either. It sounds like you'll just have to get to know her better before you can open yourself up."

Hannibal sighed; he had just realized the fact that Alouette had no real discernible faults, except perhaps the fact that he found her hard to read. "I do not want to waste her time. What if I find that I am unable to trust her after she invests so much time?"

She shrugged. "That's a risk everyone in a relationship takes. I think you should at least try Hannibal. In all the years I've known you this is the first time you've ever mentioned being interested in someone, as more than a friend. I believe you need to listen to what your instincts are telling you about her."

Unfortunately, Hannibal's instincts were constantly pulling him in opposite directions. One moment, all he wanted to do was let himself fall for her, while his other half screamed at him to pull away. Hannibal told his psychiatrist that he didn't have much more to say, and thanked her again for seeing him on such short notice.

Hannibal really didn't feel any better after talking to Dr. Du Maurier, but figured it was worth a shot at any rate. Her advice likely would have been helpful to a common man with trivial secrets, but Hannibal's secrets were nowhere near trivial. Though, his psychiatrist didn't know all of that, so it wasn't as though he could blame her for having advice that was too unspecific.

On his way home, he drove past Alouette's house, wondering if she had awoken from the night before. Had she dreamed of him last night as well? He wanted to stop, just to see how she was doing, and forced himself to keep driving. Was this really what he was being reduced to? The cool, calm, Dr. Lecter acting like an infatuated schoolboy? This soft person he was becoming wasn't someone he recognized, or wanted to for that matter. There was only one way to put an end to all of this and Hannibal knew it. It would be hard, but worth it in the long run so he could finally have some peace of mind once more.

**Note** Ahhh so many feelings! Please review(:


	8. Waiting by the Phone

**Note** Thanks again to all of you who continue to read my fic(: Thanks to the fact that it's summer and I don't go back to college until August, this is moving along quite nicely I'd say. I should be able to do an update every day until it's finished!

Ally sat in her office, mindlessly typing patient notes in her computer after a follow up check on their supplements. Her mind kept drifting back to just a few nights before, when she went to Hannibal's home for the grandiose meal. It had exceeded nearly all of her wildest expectations. The only desires of hers that the night hadn't fulfilled had been entirely physical. Dr. Lecter was so good at pulling away from her, leaving her wanting him with every fiber of her being. Perhaps that was also the alcohol speaking. Although Alouette certainly thought the wine would allow things to become at least a little more physical that night, she felt pretty poorly about herself for letting Hannibal see her in such a state on their very first date.

Alouette felt sick to her stomach just thinking about wine again, and vowed not to drink for at least the next week or so. She had woken up with such a headache the morning after, still in somewhat of a shock that she had told Hannibal nearly the entire story of her past with Tom. She supposed it felt good to finally open up, but wondered if it was for the best. Dr. Lecter had probably lost quite a bit of respect for her after seeing her in her tipsy state of mind and hearing her sob story. Perhaps that's why he still hadn't called her for three days. She wanted desperately to apologize for her behavior, but refused to be the first to make contact. A lady should never call back first; at least that's what she told herself.

There was a small knock on her office door and Eric Snoddgrass entered. He had dark blonde hair, a kind face, and was much shorter than Hannibal. Alouette thought he was a great guy, but she definitely lacked the physical attraction for him that she found so overly abundant with Hannibal. "How's it going, Ally?" he asked, sitting down in a chair in front of her desk.

She sighed. "Oh, fine I suppose. Dr. Franz keeps changing the diets on his patients, though. It's very frustrating." Eric was a physical therapist that had been working at the hospital for quite a number of years. Alouette, still thinking about Hannibal, was curious as to if Eric knew anything about him. "So, Eric, you've worked here since college…do you remember a man named Hannibal Lecter? He went to medical school here years ago." She was careful to sound casual, not wanting to hurt Eric's feelings by sounding too interested in another man.

"Dr. Lecter? Of course, he worked as a surgeon here for quite a few years," he said to Alouette's surprise. She had no idea that he had done surgeries before becoming a psychiatrist. "I always thought he was kind of a prick, so proper and all. He seemed to really care about his patients though, and he had a really good reputation in the hospital. I know he donates a lot of money every year to the neurology department." Eric shrugged. "I guess I don't have anything against the guy, he just sort of rubbed me the wrong way for some reason or other."

"Interesting," she commented, once again trying not to sound too interested.

"Why do you ask?" he looked at her suspiciously, and knew that he would be instantly jealous if she told him she went to dinner at his house.

"No reason, I just have a friend who got referred to his psychiatry practice and was curious about him," Alouette lied.

"I see," said Eric, looking somewhat relieved. "Well, I think your friend is in good hands. He doesn't seem like the quack type. Anyways, the reason I came up here is that I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch tomorrow on our break?"

Ally figured there couldn't be anything wrong with eating lunch with him, hoping that he meant as going as just friends and not as a date. "Sure, sounds great Eric." She smiled at him and turned back to her computer, finishing up her typing for the day. He smiled back at her, saying that he would talk to her tomorrow, and left her office shortly after.

Alouette finished tying her notes for the day, eager to return home. On her way out to her car she checked her phone and felt her insides sink in disappointment upon seeing that she hadn't received a call for Hannibal. Ally knew she had to be patient, but it was so difficult when she felt such a strong connection to him.

When she got home, she decided to cook herself dinner, which made her think about Hannibal's cooking. Why did everything have to remind her of him, tempting her to pick up the phone and call him? Ally dumped some white wine in a large pot on the stove with her risotto rice. Making risotto took a lot of patience; on a good day it took around 40 minutes at the least. Finally, it was completing its long cooking process. Her last step was to stir in some parmesan cheese and cut up some fresh asparagus on top. Ally scooped some of her asparagus risotto into a bowl and headed for her couch to distract her mind with a little TV.

Alouette flipped through the channels, bypassing the reality shows, all of which she disliked. Shelly might love _The Bachelor_, but it was just not in Ally's taste. After a while, she just wanted to pick something and be done with it, so she settled on Gordon Ramsey's _Hell's Kitchen. _If nothing else, at least she could enjoy his British accent, though it was nowhere near as sexy as Hannibal's Lithuanian one…

Ally had to stop. She was driving herself crazy thinking about him all the damn time. Ally finished off her risotto and loaded the bowl in the dishwasher. She looked in her fridge, wondering what to have dessert, deciding to cut up some strawberries and putting a little bit of whipped cream on top. Basic, but delicious nonetheless.

Just when she returned to her couch, she heard her cell phone ring from upstairs in her purse. She bounded up the stairs, hoping with her whole heart it was Hannibal. Of course, it was just Shelly.

She was panting and sat on the floor, leaning her back against her bed. "Hello?" she breathed in her phone.

"Did I just catch you after a run?" Shelly asked.

"Something like that," Alouette said, slowly regaining her breath. She thought it strange that she could run miles without getting tired, but running up the stairs was a completely different story. "What's up?"

"Well, you never called me to tell me about your date!" Shelly accused.

"Sorry, I've been busy, "Ally lied. In fact, the reason she hadn't called Shelly was because she didn't want to admit that Hannibal hadn't called her back after that night. She wasn't quite ready to admit that she had messed up her chance with him by getting a little too drunk and saying a little too much.

There was silence on the line for a moment, and then Shelly said, "What are you waiting for? Was it horrible?"

"No, it was great. He cooked me a five course meal and we had some wine and talked until midnight or so."

"So why do you sound so depressed talking about it?" Shelly asked.

"I drank four glasses of wine, I think it was a turn off for him to see me that way," Ally admitted.

"Oh, Lou….I know how you get with wine. It's like me with tequila. Did you try and force yourself on him or something?"

"Sort of, I mean he kissed me first, but I asked him to stay when he dropped me off at my house."

"And he said no?!" Shelly asked, incredulous. "What kind of guy doesn't take advantage of that kind of situation?"

"The perfect kind," Alouette sighed.

"Well I'm sure it wasn't that big of a deal, Ally. You always overthink things like this."

"Then why hasn't he called?"

"He's probably just busy, he does own his own practice and all," Shelly said.

Ally wanted to stop thinking about Hannibal for longer than five seconds. "Eric invited me to lunch tomorrow, and I said yes."

"Why? You know you don't like him."

"Well, we can have lunch as friends," Alouette pointed out.

"Not if he doesn't know you're just friends," Shelly sighed. "Anyways, Brian is back in town, I think we're going to hang out this weekend and go bar hopping or something."

Brian was Shelly's ex that she was constantly off and on with, but Ally thought he was a good guy and wanted them to end up together. He was the one who helped her move out of her house in Maine. The only reason that they were on and off was Shelly's independent attitude; she liked being single, but loved Brian at the same time. "Sounds fun," Ally said, wishing she had plans with Hannibal.

Alouette asked for a hair appointment the following Monday, and after getting it set up, the two friends hung up. She made her way back downstairs, with her cell phone in hand. Since she had been on the phone, the sun had finished setting and the living room was dark. Ally turned on the light on the end table and ate the rest of her little strawberry dessert. She wished she had thought to go running earlier to clear her mind a little more, but now it was too late. Alouette was much too afraid to run in the dark anymore, preferring to go only in the mornings before work.

Her cell phone rang again, and Ally told herself not to get her hopes up that it was Hannibal, but she did anyways. It was a number that wasn't in her contacts already so it could be him! Excitedly, she answered.

"Hey Ally," an all too familiar voice spoke to her. She wanted to hang up the phone more than anything. As if reading her mind, Tom said, "Don't hang up." He paused before continuing, "I just wanted to let you know...that douchebag you've been seeing, Ally? He's not who you think he is."

"Oh really, Tom?" Alouette rolled her eyes.

"I knew you would want to go to that hotel after the other night." Her skin crawled, wondering how he knew every step she took. "You're just too predictable, Ally. You make things too easy sometimes. Anyways, I watched your man do some pretty gruesome things after playing the good guy."

"You're so full of shit, Tom. He's a psychiatrist, maybe you should talk to him instead." She knew better than to believe anything he said.

"Well trust me, you'll still repay me for what I lost. But whether it's by my hand or someone else's, it really doesn't matter to me. But I'd much rather it be mine."

"Why the fuck won't you leave me alone? It wasn't my fault." Ally had no idea what he was even talking about, but found herself crying again. She was trying to stifle her cries; she hated when he could hear her weak and crying. It was what fueled him more than anything.

"Of course it was. Women have only one job in this world and you couldn't even succeed at that one," he sneered at her.

Alouette was shocked once again at his profound sexism and wondered how he could be so stupid. "Go to hell, Tom."

"Just remember what I said, Alouette. Don't trust Dr. Lecter, especially when it comes to protecting you from me."

She couldn't take anymore, so Alouette just hung up the phone. She hadn't a clue what he was talking about or why he thought she would ever listen to a word he had to say. Ally quickly walked around the house, double checking the locks on all the doors in her house.

Her mind was spinning as she walked across the living room and picked up her violin. It began to rain and Alouette heard thunder in the distance. A storm was quickly approaching, and she wouldn't mind. She loved to sleep in the rain. After a quick scale to warm up, Ally began one of the many songs she knew from memory. She allowed her emotions to flow away from her and into the music, pouring her soul into each and every note. Only then, did she feel a true release.


	9. Aria Da Capo

**Note** Enjoy(: Please review! Disclaimer (I know I forget to put this in every chapter): I don't own anyone from_ Hannibal_.

Hannibal raised the glass of Lemberger to his lips and took a large sip. The wine was one of his favorites; it featured several nice chocolate tones. He attempted to sit on the couch and clear his mind, but he was having a hard time finding peace with what he was about to do. Yes, that's right; his plan was to kill Alouette Dubois. He couldn't just let two halves of him live, when one wanted to let himself pursue her so desperately and the other wanted to distance himself from any sort of emotional entanglement. One half had won; the other must die with her.

He parked his car one street over and walked the rest of the way. For a moment, Hannibal stood outside the small house, debating his best course of action. He had gone over the plan so many times in his head already; he didn't know why he faltered now. Finally, the doctor decided to look through her windows first to find out what she was doing, and then go from there.

She was in the living room, and sat close to the open window Hannibal was peering into. Her cell phone rang and she picked it up. After a few moments of silence, she said, "Oh really, Tom?"

Hannibal was alarmed; she was speaking with Tom? His urge to barge into her house and protect her from whatever he was telling her over the phone became very tempting, but he banished the thought from his mind. He leaned even closer to the window, listening even more carefully than their conversation before.

"You're so full of shit, Tom. He's a psychiatrist, maybe you should talk to him instead."

A million red flags threw themselves into Hannibal's mind, and he knew that Alouette and Tom were speaking of him. What could he have possibly told her? How could he know anything about Hannibal at all? His mind was spinning and he knew that he had no choice in his actions if Alouette knew his secrets. He would have to kill her and hunt down Tom next.

She told him that what happened between them hadn't been her fault and that he should go to hell. Shortly after, she began to softly cry, and then hung up the phone, throwing it onto the couch beside her. She held her head in her small hands for a moment, before standing and walking across the room. He listened as she locked the deadbolt and walked through her kitchen, likely to check her lock on the back door.

When she returned to the living room, Hannibal watched as she bent down and picked up her violin that had been propped up on a stand. He was vaguely aware of the fact that it had become to rain around him. She played a short scale to warm up, and then stood for a moment, pondering what to play. Hannibal drew his knife, with the idea that he would ring her doorbell in the midst of her song.

However, he had never anticipated what she may play on her beautifully polished and stringed instrument. The opening notes of Bach's _Aria Da Capo_ suddenly flooded her house. Hannibal had only ever heard it on piano before, never a violin. But he found that the violin gave the music an entire new dimension and richness, and he was transfixed. He watched her hips sway to the rhythm as she played. The moment she struck the first note of the chorus, the clouds opened up and it began to pour rain all around him.

There was nothing Hannibal could even do except stand there and stare at her, amazed at the fact that she knew one of his favorite songs by memory. Hannibal didn't believe in signs, but if he did, this had to be one.

"Goddamn it Alouette," he cursed under his breath, knowing that he had to make a decision soon. She finished the song and began another that he was not as enthralled with, so he made his way to her front door and rang the bell.

The music abruptly stopped playing, and although Hannibal hadn't enjoyed her second song as thoroughly, he nevertheless yearned to hear her play more. It took a minute or so for her to come to the door, and he couldn't blame her for being cautious after her call with Tom.

She opened the door and Hannibal's grip on the knife in his pocket tightened.

_Choose. You have to choose._

"Hannibal, what a surprise!" She exclaimed, her round face lighting up with a smile. "You're absolutely drenched, please, come in!"

He stood at her door for a few seconds, his mind racing a thousand miles per second. Should he take the risk of her knowing his secret, knowing that he may have to kill her any day? Was it even possible to get close to her while knowing that her death was always a possibility? Still, Hannibal couldn't ignore his emotions for her any longer; they were definitely there, and fighting their way out of his guarded heart as violently as he had previously tried to push them back in. He traced her sweet face with his eyes as she spoke and remembering the song she had played just minutes before, and how he felt that it had almost been meant for him to hear. He let go of the knife and followed her inside. She locked the door behind him and he stood, dripping in her hall.

"Let me get you a towel," she offered, and went down the hall and around the corner. She came back into sight moments later, carrying a blue bath towel. "I didn't see your car in the driveway, Hannibal."

"I simply felt like walking," he said carefully. "Clearly I should have checked the forecast before doing so." He patted his face and dried his hair with the towel she had given him. He noticed that she had begun to giggle and he asked, "What is it?"

"I have never seen your hair messy," Alouette smiled. On instinct, he raised a hand to try and fix it, but she stopped his arm with her soft touch. "Don't," she said. "I like it."

He obeyed her command, smirking a bit. Sometimes she amused him. He took off his wet shoes by the door before following her into the living room, not wanting to track any mud through her nearly spotless home. She told him he could make himself comfortable and offered him tea. He graciously accepted, and looked around her living room once more as she went to prepare it. His eyes kept floating back to that wonderful violin of hers, and he got up to examine it. He could tell that she bought it in Paris by the manufacturing company's symbol that was carved into the wood. Hannibal was still in awe of the fact that the music produced by the instrument had affected him so profoundly.

Alouette returned to the room after Hannibal had returned to the couch. He accepted his tea from her and declined her offer for any sugar or milk to add. "I apologize, I did not mean to interrupt the music earlier," he commented as she sat down beside him. "Bach is one of my favorite composers."

"Mine too." She blushed. "I hope I sounded alright, I haven't played in a few days, so I was feeling a bit rusty."

"It sounded spectacular," he said. "Why don't you ever play with the Baltimore Metropolitan Orchestra?" he asked. "They could use a strong violinist such as yourself, for solos and what have you."

"I really don't like playing in front of other people…I would get stage-fright," she smiled.

"Perhaps if you saw them perform, you would change your mind. I am attending one of their concerts this weekend, if you would care to join me," he offered her.

Alouette's quick reply was: "I'd love to, Hannibal."

"Perhaps we could have dinner out on the town beforehand," he suggested. "What kind of food do you like most at restaurants?"

"I could really go for some good Italian," she said.

He suggested a few nice restaurants and let her pick one before changing the subject. "I hope you were not miserable the other morning after having the wine the night before."

Once more, she blushed. All he wanted to do was to take her face in his hands and lose himself in her kiss and touch. But Hannibal, always the perfect gentleman, knew that in the midst of a conversation was probably not the best time to give into his desires. Additionally, he thought it wasn't a good idea to embrace his physical wants of her when he had planned to kill her just less than twenty minutes ago.

"I'm really sorry about that," she said.

He smiled at her. "No need to apologize, Alouette. I enjoyed my walk home after dropping you off here."

He wondered why she seemed so happy and why she failed to bring up her conversation with Tom. Was she simply trying to hide what he told her? Did she know all of his secrets? It didn't seem like that was the case, but how could Hannibal know for sure? The fact was that he couldn't, and it would continue to pester him every second he was with her.

"Well I suppose I should be going," Hannibal began to stand.

"No, stay," Alouette said. There was a hint of desperation in her tone that told her she was afraid that Tom might try and stop by. "You should at least wait until the rain lets up."

He sat back down and looked at her TV, where Gordon Ramsey screamed at some contestants in _Hell's Kitchen_. Hannibal had never been one for watching television; he always found better things to do with his time. You know, like hunt and eat people.

Alouette looked satisfied at the fact that he had decided to stay and leaned her head against his shoulder. He played with her hair for a second, enjoying the warmth of her body close to his. He let his hand wander over her toned shoulder and lightly ran his fingers up and down her arms. She turned her head and craned her neck to softly kiss the side of his jaw. Hannibal realized that he never really had this sort of tempting interaction with a woman. For the most part, Hannibal just fucked them without any real foreplay or anything.

But Hannibal was undeniably enjoying the little lustful temptations she was presenting, rather like sneak peeks to the amazing sex he knew they would have. He wanted to tear her clothes off right then and make passionate love to her small body, but held himself back once more, knowing that this time it would be worth it to savor every passing moment.

He shifted his body so he faced hers on the couch and took her face in his hands. His eyes locked with her sapphire ones before both sets closed and his lips fell to hers. Their lips seemed to fit perfectly together and he nibbled on her bottom lip just a bit. His hands traced the curve from her hips to her breasts, though he didn't put his hands directly on them. Though Hannibal didn't want to take things too fast for his own enjoyment, sometimes it was hard for him to determine her pace as well. The last thing he wanted was to offend her.

Thankfully, she answered his question, as she took his hands and moved them onto her chest. Her hands were running over his neck and shoulders and through his hair. Exhaling, Hannibal leaned against the couch and pulled her body on top of his, enjoying how light she was. An entirely new and electric sensation filled him as she used her lips to open his mouth and wandered with her tongue. He touched his to hers and let her explore his mouth, until it was his turn. Hannibal ran his tongue over her teeth and bit her lip just slightly. They both began to breathe faster, and Hannibal squeezed her ass, holding her against his body. He had to stop, or he wouldn't be able to control himself much longer. He released his hands from her and slowed down the kisses until she climbed off of him. "You are the most reserved and patient man I have ever met," she said, smooth her shirt. "Are you trying to torture me?"

He smirked at her. "Not at all, Alouette. I simply want to savor every part of you." He stood and kissed her thin neck. "The rain has stopped." He knew that she longed for him to stay, both for physical desires and security from Tom, but if he stayed then he may not be able to control himself around her for much longer, and that was a dangerous position for him to take. What if, in the heat of the moment, he changed his mind again and decided to kill her? He wished he could just make one resolute decision about this woman, but it wasn't that easy this time.

"I'll see you this weekend," he promised, kissing her one last time after putting on his shoes. It felt so strange to allow himself to look forward to seeing someone again, but knew that Alouette's face would be ever-present in his mind until their next encounter.

"Goodnight, Hannibal."


	10. The Orchestra

Alouette sat in a kitchen chair as Shelly pinned and sprayed her hair, styling it into a braided up-do for her quickly approaching date at the orchestra. She sipped her merlot as Shelly tried a zinfandel; she hated the dry wines that Alouette found so complex and tasteful, and always opted for something sweeter.

"I'm excited to meet your man tonight," Shelly said, sticking yet another bobby pin into Ally's hair. "He has some pretty high expectations to live up to because of the way you've been gushing about him, you lovesick little lady."

Alouette honestly wondered what she would think of Hannibal. He certainly wasn't her type, with his proper attitude and reserved mannerisms. She also wondered what Hannibal would think of Shelly, hoping that her friend didn't offend him too much with her sometimes obnoxious attitude.

"So how was your lunch with Snotty-kins?" Shelly asked.

"Fine," Alouette said, dismissively. Her mind was still on Hannibal.

"Wow, please try to mask your enthusiasm" Shelly sighed. "Try not to lead him on too much Lou."

Ally tried not to be offended at her friend's apparent accusation. "I think it's pretty clear that I'm not interested in him; I've been sending signals." Ally noticed that her own voice was sounding a bit defensive.

"Guys don't pick up on those signals. Especially not guys like him, judging from what you've told me," Shelly pointed out. "He seems too eager to care about signals."

Alouette dropped the subject; she didn't want to think about Eric or anyone else that night, with the exception of Hannibal of course. Shelly put a finishing coat of hairspray over Ally's hair and went with her upstairs to finalize what she was wearing that evening. After rummaging through her many dresses, Ally pulled out the one she had in mind all night. It was a floor length, sleek emerald green gown that she had bought in New York during a vacation a few years ago. She took it from her closet, and Shelly nodded her approval.

Ally changed and slipped on a pair of heels that added two inches to her stature. Perhaps this way she would be able to kiss Hannibal's lips without the need to stand on her toes. Alouette touched up her makeup and applied a red lipstick in just enough time before she heard the doorbell ring downstairs.

As always, Hannibal looked incredibly handsome in a black suit and tie. He bent down to her and kissed her cheek. "You look breathtaking, Alouette." She still loved the way he said her name and enjoyed it immensely each time he did. She invited him inside to reveal Shelly standing close to the door, in jeans and a purple T-shirt.

"Shelly, this is Hannibal. Hannibal, Shelly," Alouette introduced and the two shook hands smiling.

"It's a pleasure, Dr. Lecter. You better like her hair," Shelly said. "Took nearly forty five minutes."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Shelly. And you did a fine job, it looks superb," Hannibal told her.

"Alright, well you two enjoy your date. I'll lock the door behind me when I leave, Lou," Shelly said. She was planning on using Ally's Wifi that night, as she hadn't paid her internet bill that month.

They said goodbye and Hannibal offered his arm to her. She took it, happily, and walked out to his parked car. On her way out the door, she had glanced over her shoulder at Shelly, who mouthed "_He is HOT," _before she closed the door behind them. He held his car door open for her as she climbed inside. He was the perfect gentleman; no one had ever been so chivalrous to her.

They arrived at the Italian restaurant for dinner a bit before their reservation time, but the hosts seated them quickly regardless. Their red-headed waitress greeted them with bread and dipping herbs at the table. She asked if either of them wanted something to drink and Hannibal ordered a wine for both of them. Of course, the waitress asked to see Alouette's I.D., which happened every time she ordered alcohol at a bar or restaurant.

Hannibal's lips curved into a small smile as she showed the waitress her I.D., even though she was way past twenty one. She could thank her petite frame and youthful face for that one. "How embarrassing," she said under her breath as the waitress walked away.

"You should take it as a compliment, Alouette," he pointed out. The waitress returned with their wine and filled up the glasses.

He raised his glass and she did as well. "To your good health, dear Alouette. May you always maintain your youthful appearance," he said with a coy smile. She rolled her eyes, but accepted the toast nonetheless and clinked her glass against his. She sort of enjoyed the playful way he had teased her.

"Mmm….Wonderful choice of wine, Hannibal."

The waitress came back to take their order, and then left once more. "So, why won't you tell me what music the Baltimore Metropolitan Orchestra will be performing tonight?" Alouette asked. She had asked him several times already leading up to that night.

"It is a surprise, Alouette. It will be a beautiful show, and I am sure you will enjoy it," Hannibal said, smirking at her impatience.

They ate their salads, followed by their delightful main courses. Ally got pasta with crab, her favorite kind of seafood. Hannibal had opted for a salmon dish, and Alouette had to admit it was a bit strange to see him eating any type of seafood. If she was sure about one thing in this world, it was his love for red meat. She hoped that he wasn't just trying to eat healthy in front of her because he now knew she was a dietitian. A lot of people tended to feel self-conscious while making food choices around her; fortunately, her close friends like Shelly didn't seem to care whether Ally judged them or not.

Alouette also got a strange feeling when Hannibal pulled a credit card out of his sleek, leather wallet to pay for the meal. It was just odd for him to pay for her, and suddenly things felt so much more formal, even though she knew their night would be an official date before. She thanked him for dinner and they headed back to his black car.

Thankfully, the orchestra was close to the restaurant they chose for dinner. However, the parking lot was already packed, and there was absolutely no chance of getting a spot close to the door. Hannibal dropped her off at the front and took the car to find a parking space. Once again, she was blown away by how much of a gentleman he was to her. While she waited for him, she found herself wondering how he would act if their relationship continued. Would his courteous nature persist? Sometimes, Ally wished he would act a little more natural around her instead of always being so polite and reserved. She didn't trust men very much, for good reason, and sometimes wondered if he was simply putting up a front for her this entire time. Alouette desperately wanted to learn more about him, and it seemed as though he had shared so little about his life with her.

"Are you ready to go in, Alouette?" he strode up to her, still looking dashing in his clean, crisp suit.

"I can't wait," she smiled, banishing her worries from her mind as she took his outstretched arm and he led her inside. There were probably hundreds of well-dressed guests in the lobby, waiting for the doors to open so they could sit down. Ally realized that suddenly, she was spending an evening with Baltimore's upper class and that Hannibal was certainly a part of them. In a way, she felt a bit out of place, as Hannibal smiled and waved to so many people and Ally had yet to recognize one familiar face. She felt a pang of jealousy as most of the women he waved to happened to be beautiful women. Ally found herself wondering if he had wined and dined any of these other women, or if they had once been his date to the orchestra.

"Alouette, are you alright?" Hannibal looked at her, concerned.

She forced a smile, and said, "I'm fine, Hannibal, just a bit sick to my stomach." It wasn't a lie, the jealousy did give her a sick feeling.

"Are you sure you want to stay for the performance? I can take you home," he offered.

"No, no, I want to stay! I've been waiting all week for this," Ally said, not wanting to let her feelings get in the way of their night.

The doors open and people flooded into the auditorium. "Follow me," Hannibal said, taking Alouette by the hand. She loved the way her small hand was completely enveloped by his. Hannibal said a few words to a man standing by a wall in the orchestra staff uniform, and the man promptly stood aside, opening a white door that had been behind him. Red wine colored carpet covered the long, curving staircase that led to the private box seats of the theatre.

As they walked upstairs, Alouette asked, "Is this where you always sit when you come to hear them play?"

Hannibal smiled down at her. "Not usually, but tonight is not like most nights."

"And why is that?" Alouette inquired.

"You will see," he promised her once more.

There were two chairs at the top of the stairs for them. The auditorium featured a giant crystal chandelier and thousands of seats. The woodwork around the ceiling and walls was intricately carved. Ally admired the beauty of the place while she attempted to wait patiently for the orchestra to start. She wondered when they would finally announce what music they would be featuring that evening and why Hannibal refused to tell her.

A man dressed in a formal suit came to the stage and stood in front of the microphone. "Thank you all for joining us here tonight for our performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's _Orchestral Suites_. After _Orchestral Suite No.2_, Missy Evans will perform Bach's _Violin Concerto in A Minor. _After _Orchestral Suite No. 4, _we will conclude our night's performance with Gregory Franz on piano with _The Goldberg Variations_."

"You remembered that Bach is my absolute favorite," Alouette beamed at Hannibal. She remembered the other night, when they both agreed that Bach was a wonderful composer. Now Alouette understood why he had wanted to keep the performance a secret.

"Of course I remember Alouette." He looked at her with his gorgeous brown eyes. Alouette had completely forgotten they were holding hands until he squeezed hers lightly as the music began.

They sat in silence, letting the notes wash over them in perfect harmony. Ally had never heard something so beautiful in her entire life, though she found that she preferred the solo pieces to the orchestral suites. Although hearing all the instruments together created a complex sound, Ally enjoyed seeing what one single person could achieve with their musical ability. Hannibal stroked her hand with his thumb throughout most of the performance.

After the violin solo, he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "That could be you, Alouette." The dark-haired soloist bowed on the stage to loud applause. For a moment, Ally fantasized about what it would be like to perform in front of all those people and wondered if she might ever find the courage to do so.

During the rest of the orchestra's performance, she glanced over at Hannibal occasionally, and saw that he had a small smile on his lips throughout the entire performance. During the last song, _The Goldberg Variations_, he simply closed his eyes and leaned his head back in the chair. It was at that moment that Ally believed she saw Hannibal's truest self for the first time, as he sat there in his relaxed state and peacefully enjoyed the music of the piano.

**Note** Please please pleaseeee review!


	11. Movie Time?

**Note** This chapter is going to have a little M action. Proceed with caution, readers. Happy 4th of July!

The entire auditorium stood to give the performers a standing ovation that they so deserved. "Did you enjoy it?" Hannibal asked her, after the clapping had ceased and the other attendees were beginning to leave the auditorium for the night.

"Every second," she said. "It was breathtaking."

Alouette waited in the lobby as Hannibal went to get the car. The last piano solo was stuck in her head; she could definitely understand why Hannibal had enjoyed it so much, in its elegant complexity. He pulled up in front of the theatre and got out of his car, slowly walking around to open the door for her.

She climbed in and they drove to her house. Ally was somewhat happy and relieved to see that Shelly had already left. "Would you like to come inside for a little? I opened a bottle of merlot earlier that I could use some help with."

"I believe you asked the right person to help," he smirked at her.

Alouette unlocked her front door and they walked inside. She hung his suit jacket in the coat room in the hall. He looked undeniably sexy wearing his vest and shirt, and she thought about taking them off of him as well. She wondered if he fantasized about her the way she did about him.

She fetched a couple of red wine glasses from the kitchen and the opened merlot from earlier that day. Her phone vibrated and Ally read the text. "_Text me after your date. I want to hear EVERYTHING."_ It was from Shelly, who would just have to wait. There was no way that Ally was going to cut the night short.

"Thank you," Dr. Lecter said, as she handed him his wine glass. He was sitting on her couch, looking comfortable.

"So would you like to watch a movie? I don't know how long you were planning on staying," Alouette said.

"For however long you will have me," Hannibal said. Alouette couldn't be sure, but she could have sworn he had meant that with some sort of sexual connotation. Then again, maybe that was just her own desires speaking. "I do hope you will let me know if I become a nuisance or overstay my welcome in any way." He gave her that familiar smirk that made her swoon.

"Hannibal you could never be a nuisance. If anyone, that would be me, when I had a little too much to drink at your house that night."

"Perhaps you will have to drive me home and carry me to my bedroom." He laughed. "Like I said, Alouette, it was not an inconvenience on my part to help you. I just wanted you to be safe."

He touched her hand once more, and Alouette was left speechless again. How did he always know exactly what to say to her? Perhaps that was just part of being a psychiatrist.

….

"Well, what would you like to do then?" she asked him. "Watch a movie?"

Hannibal shrugged, and replied, "Sure." He couldn't remember the last time he had even watched a movie.

"What kind of movie do you like?"

Hannibal had no idea how to answer her question. "You can choose."

She sighed. "So that's how you're going to play it."

He watched her, amusedly, as she faked her agitation. She made him smile like no one else in the world did. "I am."

"Alright, then. Well you were going to find out my Leonardo DiCaprio obsession soon enough anyways, so might as well come clean. Most of my movie collection features movies with him in them."

"I haven't the slightest clue who that is," Hannibal admitted.

Her mouth dropped open. "You haven't seen _Titanic?_ Hannibal, come on…everyone has seen that movie."

"I have not."

"Well, I guess that settles it. We couldn't have picked a more cliché chick flick, but I think _Titanic _is simply a must."

"Fine by me if you are happy with it," Hannibal said.

Alouette put the movie in her DVD player and stood. "I think I'm going to get changed into something a bit more comfortable."

"Feel free," Hannibal said. She went upstairs for a few minutes and Hannibal waited. She came down in black pants and a white blouse. He smirked at her. "Alouette, you said comfortable. You're still dressed as if we're going somewhere else tonight."

"Well, I'm not just going to wear my pajamas," she told him.

"Why not? You know, the first time we met, you were wearing your workout clothes."

"Do you want me to go change?"

"I just want you to be your most comfortable, Alouette."

"You asked for it, Hannibal." She walked up the stairs once more and when she came back, she was wearing very skimpy shorts and a Johns Hopkins University sweatshirt. She had let her hair down from her updo, and it formed pretty waves. "Happy?"

He smirked at her. "Yes, you look much more prepared to watch a movie." Truthfully, Hannibal just liked seeing her in casual clothes. He knew that she had style and liked to see her dressed up, but he liked seeing the carefree side of her just as much. He wondered for a moment what she looked like when she woke up in the morning.

Alouette took her wine and pressed the start button on the TV remote. She sat next to him and he pulled her little body close to her, his hand playing with her hair while the other lifted his glass of merlot up to his lips.

Hannibal found that the movie just couldn't hold his interest. Apparently not Alouette's either, as she had fallen asleep on his shoulder thirty minutes in. Hannibal took the wine glass from her hand and set it on the end table so she didn't spill on the floor. He watched her for a bit and decided that he enjoyed seeing her sleep and that he could likely watch her for hours on end. She awoke after ten minutes. "Sorry," she said. "I always fall asleep during movies."

"It is quite alright," Hannibal said, finishing off the last of his wine and setting his glass beside hers on the table. "I can think of a few ways that I could prevent you from falling back asleep. Or perhaps I should leave so you can rest."

"No," she said. "I don't want you to leave." She paused. "And what did you have in mind to keep me awake?"

He gave her a coy smile before taking her face in his hands and pressing his lips against hers. He pulled her body close to his and buried his hands in her long, silky hair. She smelled of her usual Chanel No. 1. He savored the taste of her lips and tasted them a bit with his tongue before she opened her mouth and greeted his tongue with hers. Once again, she tasted of wine. Hannibal enjoyed playing with her small tongue. His body ached for more and more for her, and he knew that he would have to give into her at some point.

Hannibal pulled her legs around his waist and stood, carrying her across the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. She kissed his jaw and neck as he walked up the stairs, and Hannibal felt himself harden quickly. He set her down on the bed and crawled on top of her. They kissed once more and Hannibal's hands drifted under her sweatshirt, over her flat stomach, and up to her breasts. Her skin was so smooth and he wished he could just touch her for hours.

He savored the way her small hands massaged his shoulder blades and back. He broke his lips away from hers, kissing the side of her face and traveling to her ear lobe. He sucked on it before tracing his mouth down her neck, kissing, licking, and sucking it as he pleased. "Oh, Hannibal," she moaned, setting his urges on fire even more. He longed to hear her say his name again with such ecstasy. His hunger grew for her more and more with each second. For a moment, he pulled away from her so that he could take off her sweatshirt to reveal a lacy red bra. He looked into her eyes as he unhooked her bra with one swift motion. She smiled, and pulled his lips on top of hers once more.

His mouth traveled down her neck once more, and he licked her left clavicle bone, tasting her sweet skin. Meanwhile, his hands cupped her large breasts, squeezing and rubbing them. She moaned once more as his tongue met one of her nipples. He teased it with his tongue while his hand drifted toward her pussy. Hannibal felt over her shorts first, to make sure that she wouldn't protest his touch.

Then Hannibal reached inside her shorts and panties, finding her clit and rubbing it in little circles. "Hannibal," she said into his ear again, driving him crazy. He adored hearing his name come out of her small red lips.

He moved his mouth to her other nipple and felt the rest of her pussy. He noticed how wet she had become and paused for a moment before pressing one finger up into her tight little pussy. She even squeezed his one finger, which made Hannibal look forward to the sensations he would feel if he switched his fingers for his cock instead.

Her little hands worked at unbuttoning his vest and shirt from earlier that night. She opened his shirt and ran her hands over his bare chest. The pleasure her touch caused him made him finger her even faster. She was breathing heavily, growing closer and closer to orgasm, when she surprisingly pushed him off of her and flipped over so that she was sitting up on him. She threw his shirt and vest to the side of the bed and began to grind her body against his.

She bent down and licked and bit his neck, and Hannibal was overwhelmed with sensation. He pressed her hips against him and she moved faster. Alouette then sat up once more and undid his belt, unzipped his pants, and pulled everything away from his body. He followed suit and slid off her small shorts as well as her black panties. Hannibal paused for a moment, admiring her nakedness. He knew he had never wanted someone this badly in his entire life.

He pulled her face to his once more, locking his lips with hers. He whispered to her, his mouth so close to hers that their lips brushed as he spoke, "You're so beautiful, my dear Alouette."

They kissed once more, and Hannibal felt a new sensation as her small hand snaked around his throbbing, hard cock and began to stroke it. She worked the head and paid attention to his balls as well. He groaned, and yearned to be inside of her more than ever. Her hands worked faster and faster, but he wouldn't allow her to finish him off just yet; Hannibal wasn't nearly finished having fun with her.

He liked how easy it was to pick her up and set her on her back beside him, before he rolled over and opened her legs. She was soaking wet, just begging for his hard cock, but he was going to torture her and make her wait. Besides, he was just aching to taste her sweetness. He bent his head down and she moaned the second his tongue touched her clit. He licked all around her, savoring every taste over his tongue.

"Please, Hannibal," she begged, as his tongue hovered outside of her pussy. He gave into her desires and began to fuck her with his tongue, and reached a free hand up to play with her breasts. She was breathing heavily again, and Hannibal was enjoying it too much to pull away. She wrapped her legs around his head and locked him into place, and he could tell she was very close to an orgasm. Finally, he flicked her clit with his tongue while his fingers continued to fuck her. Alouette didn't last much longer before her orgasm, letting out another moan and pulling on Hannibal's hair. Watching her orgasm turned him on more than anything he had ever seen in his life. He licked her cunt a little longer before kissing her forehead. She had a look of complete relaxation on her face and she gave him a little smile.

She stood and pulled Hannibal to the edge of the bed so that he was sitting up. She knelt down on the floor in front of him and looked up at him with those big, blue eyes while taking him in her mouth. He groaned in delight as she licked around the head of his cock and sucked on his balls. The feeling of a tongue on his cock was an entirely new experience for Hannibal, and he was enjoying every second of it. He loved watching her head move over him and he gently pushed her head against his cock so she might take more of it in her mouth. Instead of pushing back, she obliged and took his entire cock in her small mouth, moving her lips over him faster and faster. "Are you ready, Alouette?" He laced his fingers with hers and groaned once more, closing his eyes as he reached a climax. She took all of his juices in her mouth and swallowed, a feat that Hannibal found to be impressive. He pulled her small body back onto the bed and they both climbed under the covers. He brought her warm body close to his and kissed her shoulder. She closed her eyes, and Hannibal knew she was tired and relaxed from her own orgasm, but he still wished to fuck her that night. His hands reached around her waist and he held her close, pushing the rest of his desires to the back of his mind. There would be plenty of other opportunities, he decided.

He kissed the side of her head, right above her ear. "Goodnight, my sweet Alouette." He cuddled with her a bit longer until she fell asleep and then carefully climbed out of her bed and put his clothes back on. Though Hannibal had thoroughly enjoyed what they had just took part in, he once more felt the need to pull himself back and distance himself. The insticts telling him not to spend the night were simply too strong for him to overlook just yet. Hannibal wondered when he would finally let himself do everything he pleased with her and would stop holding himself back, but once again, he realized that it may just never happen.


	12. Guilty

**Note** Just so you all know, every time I write one of these chapters, I watch an episode of _Hannibal_. It always helps to have some inspiration and hear that sexy Lithuanian accent we all know and love(; Thanks again so so sooooo much to those who have reviewed! If you haven't, please consider it!

….

Ally walked the halls of the hospital, completing her rounds for the day. She took the stairs to each floor and checked up on the patients that began supplements a few days before. Alouette went to the fourth floor, that housed their older patients, many of which suffering from Alzheimer's amongst other maladies. It always broke her heart to try and talk to the older patients when they could barely respond to her questions.

After exiting the last patient room on that floor, Ally noticed a bright purple flyer by the nurses' desk. Upon closer inspection, it read:

"_All hospital staff is cordially invited to the Johns Hopkins University Hospital Annual Benefit Ball on the Fifth of August. Dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for a cocktail hour. The participation of our staff is integral to ensuring the generous donations that allow us to provide exceptional care to our patients."_

"They are really pushing it this year. I already asked my director if I could skip it and watch the Orioles game at Brewster's, but he said that if I don't go, I'm not getting my bonus."

Alouette turned her head to see Eric standing next to her. "I don't know, I'm kind of looking forward to it," she admitted. "I think it's fun to get dressed up, and I completely forgot about it until now." Ally was having a hard time picturing Eric looking anywhere near formal with his ever-present five o'clock shadow. She was sure that some women would find it attractive, but it was certainly not her thing.

"Well I'm sure you'll look great," Eric said. "I figure that since I'm forced to go, I might as well try and enjoy myself. So would you like to go with me?"

"_Shit,"_ Ally thought. She had already told him that she had just been reminded of the event, so it wasn't as though she could lie and say she already had a date. Of course, she could tell him about Hannibal, she couldn't bring herself to say no to Eric when he looked so hopeful. He really was such a sweet guy, but he just wasn't her type. Alouette had always struggled with hurting other people, and had no idea how to let people down the easy way. She told herself that it would only be one night, and she wouldn't kiss him or do anything that would lead him on in that way.

"Sure," she forced herself to smile and felt horrible inside after he beamed back at her.

"Sounds great. We'll talk details later."

The Ball was only a week away from Friday, and Alouette knew that she was going to be under a lot of stress until then. First of all, she would be dealing with all her guilt towards Eric, for leading him on without meaning to. Ally hated herself in that moment for not being able to say no to him! On the other hand, she wondered if she should tell Hannibal about the occasion. She would certainly be furious if she found out that he was going to some big event with another woman. He was so hard for her to read that she really didn't know how he might react if she told him. Would he play it off like it was no big deal, or actually speak up and say that he didn't want her to go with Eric? All that Ally knew is that she wanted more than anything to attend that Ball with Hannibal on her arm instead.

She pushed away her current crisis and returned to her desk, typing her patient notes for that day and finishing up early, thankfully. Instead of returning home right away, she dropped by Shelly's salon.

"You caught me at a good time Lou. I don't have another client for a half hour," Shelly said. She was sporting a short bob cut now which Shelly could easily pull off. Ally could never wear her hair short; her face was just too rounded and she was convinced it would make her look fat.

"Shelly, I got myself in a really bad situation," Alouette confessed. "I have no idea what to do."

"Alright…what is it?" Shelly asked cautiously. "You aren't like a drug dealer or prostitute now, right?"

Alouette glared at her. "I'm being serious," she said, while her friend laughed. "Okay so you know that ball they host every year for the hospital? I just saw a poster for it today, and Eric bombarded me and asked me."

"And you told him no, and you're here because you feel bad about it?" Shelly asked expectantly.

"No, I told him that I would go with him," Alouette sighed.

"You never listen to me, Lou. When are you going to learn? You can't just lead people on, it's not fair to Eric, no matter how horrible his last name is. You have to be honest with him, and you have a boyfriend now for Christ's sake."

"Hannibal and I aren't official," Ally said defensively. It had been a month since their night at the orchestra and they saw each other a couple of times a week. Alouette was having the happiest moments of her life with him. They took walks through the forest, drank wine, ate the delicious meals he prepared for her, and watched the Leonardo DiCaprio movies that Alouette forced on him. They had even met up for breakfast a couple of times, but they hadn't even spent the night at each other's place since that first time after the orchestra. Sometimes Ally hated how slow-moving he was with her, but found that it forced her to enjoy every moment she spent with him and made her want more and more.

"Oh come on," Shelly rolled her eyes. "How many times have you had sex, fifty bajillion times? You see each other all the time. You don't need a label to tell how you feel for him, Ally. Or how he feels for you, for that matter."

"We haven't had sex at all," Ally admitted.

Shelly's mouth dropped and she stared at Ally for a few seconds. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"No."

She recovered from her shock. "Wow…he is even more of a gentleman than I thought. He must really care about you Lou, which makes what you're doing even more unfair."

"He doesn't say he cares. Maybe if he doesn't want me to go out with other guys, then he should be working a little harder to make me exclusive for him."

Shelly was getting pretty pissed off, Ally could tell. "Look, Alouette. I don't know what to tell you, or what you want to hear. I don't know why how you can be so selfish or why you think Hannibal doesn't care about you. Every other girl I know would kill to be with a guy like him, myself included. I know you have some emotional issues with Tom, but you need to get over them. Hannibal isn't like Tom, he would never even _think_ about hurting you, and you know that."

Ally's temper flared as Shelly mentioned Tom. How dare she bring him up, when she didn't even know half of the story? "Tom has nothing to do with this," she snapped.

"Oh I think it does, Lou." Shelly's voice softened. "I'm sorry, I know your situation was very difficult and I spend a lot of time wishing I could wring his neck myself. But you have a chance at real happiness here. I don't want to see you throw that away. I know Hannibal is your dream guy, and I know that you know it."

"I know," Ally admitted. "Well I can't just go tell Eric that I just changed my mind. That would be worse than saying no in the first place."

"Are you going to tell Hannibal?" Shelly asked.

"Probably not," Ally said. "It's not like I'll let anything happen with Eric, though"

"Good luck with all this, Lou," Shelly said. Ally thanked her for listening, but knew that Shelly was still somewhat upset with her. She just couldn't stop disappointing people lately, it seemed.

She dropped by Hannibal's practice, stopping to say hello to his receptionist, Anita. "He's just finishing up notes for the day, Alouette. Feel free to go in, I'm sure he'd love to see you." Anita's words sent her on yet another guilt trip.

"Alouette, what a pleasant surprise," he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek as she strode into his office. "You are off work early."

"I am," she said. "I was more efficient than usual today."

"Unfortunately, I still have some work that I need to finish up," he told her.

"I'll wait for you to finish," she said. All she wanted to do was spend time with him, even if it was just watching him work.

"I must warn you, my paperwork is not nearly as exciting to watch as it is to complete," Hannibal smirked at her. "But if you wish to stay, I would enjoy your company."

Ally kicked off her shoes and laid down on one of the couches that Hannibal provided for his patients. She tilted her head to look at him as he sat in his chair with perfect posture and began to write. "Hannibal, I have a question," she said.

"And what is that, little Alouette?"

"Why do you always call me by my full name? Everyone else I know calls me Ally, or Lou, in Shelly's case." It was something that she had truthfully been wondering for a long time.

"Would you prefer that I call you something else?"

"No, I was just curious," she said.

He looked at her for a moment, and then answered, "I suppose I call you Alouette because I enjoy every part of your name, just as I enjoy every part of you."

It was a perfect answer that melted Alouette's heart, and she knew that Shelly had been right before about Hannibal caring about her. Knowing that he cared made it even harder to come clean about the ball, because now she was afraid of losing his feelings for her.

She had no idea how to respond to what he had said, so she sat quietly, and played Tetris on her cell phone while waiting for him. After about fifteen more minutes, he filed the papers he had been writing and packed his briefcase. He walked over and knelt down beside her. "It's very odd to see you laying where my patients do, Alouette."

"Does it make you want to analyze me?" she asked.

"Perhaps in certain ways," he said. "For example, I wouldn't mind analyzing where every little freckle on your body is located. Or analyzing what kind of lingerie you decided to wear today."

His words were so teasing, but it frustrated her to know that while they often led to some very heated make-out sessions, they never ended in the sex that she desired so much with Hannibal. "Well I certainly hope you don't want to analyze any of those things on your real patients," she said.

"Only you, Alouette." He kissed her softly, his large hand resting against her cheek. The guilt could have killed her in that moment, and with all the talk of analyzing, she wondered if he could tell that she was hiding something from him. Ally pushed it from her mind and kissed him back, deciding that she could worry about whether or not to tell him later. She just hoped that he wouldn't try and make plans with her for next Friday so she wouldn't have to lie to him. Either way, the guilt would haunt her until the night at the ball was over with.


	13. Distractions

Hannibal stood at his living room window that faced the forest. He could faintly see her purple running jacket in the distance. Hannibal raised his binoculars to his eyes, and saw her more clearly, her blonde hair in a ponytail and streaming behind her. She ran through the forest near his house nearly every day, and he wondered if she knew that he watched for her every time. It gave him peace of mind when he saw her familiar little legs pushing along, for it meant that she was safe from Tom another day. Hannibal knew that he would have to do something about Tom eventually, but for now, he would bide his time and see if Tom attempted to contact Alouette any further. So far, she hadn't had a problem with him since that last time Hannibal had planned to kill her, at least as far as he knew.

Still, Hannibal had an uneasy feeling that Alouette was hiding something from him, and wondered if it had anything to do with Tom. Hannibal was still trying to get used to the idea of caring and actually worrying about someone, and it was for her safety for him to know if she was talking to Tom. Come to think of it, she had never told him about her phone call from him, though it seemed strange that she would be acting funny about it now, considering it was already a month later. Hannibal suspected that it must be something else, but _what_. He wished he knew how to ask her about things like this, but didn't want to analyze her like he did his patients nor make her feel as though he was trying to do so.

She ran out of his view and he lowered the binoculars. He finished the last of his breakfast and got in his car for a day at his practice. Hannibal wished he would see her that evening, but he had his weekly appointment with Dr. Du Maurier after work. Perhaps she would offer some valuable insight as to how Hannibal could get Alouette to tell him what had been on her mind since last Friday.

His receptionist, Anita, was there when Hannibal arrived. She was a kind-hearted Spanish woman that had wandered into his office one day, looking for work. Although, behind her soft exterior, the plump lady had a fiery tough side that could put up with Hannibal's patients. He found that she was a very good fit for the job.

"Good morning, Dr. Lecter," she said and handed him his patient schedule for the day. "The first crazy will be here around 9:30."

"I certainly hope you don't call my patients that to their faces," Hannibal smirked at her.

"Well, no…but it's not like they don't already know," she retorted.

It was true, for the most part. Hannibal walked to his office and made himself comfortable for the day, brewing another cup of coffee for himself. He reviewed the file of his first patient of the day, jogging his memory of their last session. His name was George Larue, and he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. The patient after him suffered from borderline personality disorder, and the next had minor obsessive compulsive disorder. At least Hannibal's day was full of variety, which allowed him to use his able mind in many different ways.

Still, with Alouette in the back of his mind, Hannibal found himself less focused on his patients. He seemed to be operating on autopilot, instead of actively finding therapy for these people. On the days that Alouette was persistent in his head, he found himself writing more prescriptions than performing actual psychoanalysis. Then, on his lunch break, Hannibal barely even ate which was quite unusual for him. His mind just kept getting sucked back to Alouette and what she could be hiding from him.

Hannibal picked up his scalpel that sat on his desk and sharpened one of his pencils with it. He opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a blank sheet of drawing paper, setting it down in front of him. He began to sketch his beautiful little Alouette. He began with her face, tracing her soft lips, her cute nose, and long eyelashes. He wished he had blue colored pencil to color her irises. Then he drew her hair in curls, which is how he preferred her to style it. Hannibal could picture every detail of her body, and knew where to place each of her three freckles on her neck. He drew her toned shoulders and the naked round curve of her breast. Another curve inward flowed outward once more as he drew her hips and legs, finally finishing with her feet. Hannibal could usually admire his own work, but the drawing simply didn't do her justice. Then again, no matter how long he spent on it, nothing would be as good as her just standing in front of him. He thoroughly enjoyed eating her with his eyes during every second she was with him.

He picked up his office phone and dialed her cell phone number, hoping that she was on lunch as well. Hey, Hannibal," she a cheerful voice.

"Hello, Alouette. I was just thinking about you. Are you busy Friday night after work?"

There was a pause and then she answered, "Sorry, yeah, I am busy. But I'd love to get brunch on Saturday instead."

"Saturday sounds lovely. I will see you then, Alouette." He hung up the phone, curious as to what she would be doing tomorrow night; Hannibal wanted to ask, but didn't want to overstep his boundaries. There was a rather large event that he had wanted to invite her to, but he supposed he would have to go by himself instead.

The rest of Hannibal's day dragged by, patient by patient, and he found himself wanting to get out of the practice as soon as possible, now looking forward to his own psychiatry appointment.

"Hello, Hannibal," Dr. Du Maurier greeted him, as he finally arrived at her office at the end of the day.

"Hello," he smiled at her and walked inside.

"So how have you been?" she asked, taking her usual seat across from him.

"Distracted," he told her.

"How so?" She tilted her head to the side and awaited his answer.

"I keep thinking of Alouette. I fear that she may be hiding something from me." Hannibal hated how paranoid and desperate he sounded, and reminded himself of some of his own patients.

"Has she given you reason to believe this? If you haven't opened up to her yet in the way that you wish to, perhaps you are projecting your own guilt onto her," Hannibal's doctor pointed out.

"The thought did cross my mind," he admitted. "But she just seems different lately, like she is more cautious than usual around me and is always holding something back whenever we talk."

"And does Alouette know you have these suspicions?"

"No. I thought it best not to bring it up until I had reason to."

"Well, if you're this stressed about the whole thing, I think you have reason to. I believe the only think you can do is talk to her about it, Hannibal. I know you don't want to offend her, but you can't just keep dwelling on things like this either."

"You are right about that; I have been dwelling on this quite a bit. Worrying about what she could be hiding has even begun to affect my work."

Dr. Du Maurier was silent for a moment. "Hannibal this is very unlike you. I know you care for Alouette, and that your feelings are continuing to develop. But you can't let your emotions overcome you and constantly possess your thoughts, especially not in your work as a psychiatrist. You and I both know that to be successful, our senses have to be precise and operating in the present moment. We must be able to pick up on every signal that our patients give us, and you simply won't be able to do that with Alouette constantly on your mind. I know that this is new for you, and it's only going to get more challenging as time goes on and you grow closer, but you must learn to balance both parts of your life."

"At times, I think that it would just be easier to pull away from these entanglements with Alouette," he said.

"Perhaps easier in the short run. It would be a temporary release of stress. But if you are developing true feelings, you might always regret throwing away what you could have had, Hannibal. And if I know you, you aren't one to just choose the easiest route."

"No, I'm not that way, am I?" He gave her a faint smile. "I suppose I will talk to Alouette on Saturday; we will be meeting for brunch that morning."

"I think that's your best option. She seems like a good girl, Hannibal. I don't think she would lie to you, especially if you confronted her about hiding something. Then again, you'll be able to tell whether or not she is lying when you speak to her about this anyways."

Hannibal found himself wishing that he couldn't tell if she was lying or not. He dreaded how he would feel if he knew she lied to him. When he put it all in perspective though, Hannibal just felt hypocritical about the whole thing. Wasn't he hiding something undoubtedly larger from her? He wondered what her reaction would be if she found out about who he really was, and if she may feel betrayal or simply disgust. Hannibal wished his lifestyle was easier for regular people to understand, but at the same time, he basked in its uniqueness.

Hannibal concluded his session for the day with Dr. Du Maurier, actually feeling a bit better about everything. But not quite better enough. He could only think of one thing to silence his mind for that evening, and that would have to be a good kill.

After going home for dinner for a few hours, Hannibal drove out to west Baltimore, the most crime ridden part of the city by far. The neighborhoods grew increasingly trashy, with several houses boarded up on each block. It was here that murderers, rapists, drug dealers, and pimps found their business. He found that after he had been getting closer with Alouette, he no longer found a thrill or desire to kill people that were innocent in some way.

Hannibal would drive until he found something unsettling that drew him to action. He scanned the streets; not many people were out and about yet, but he knew that they would be soon. He turned into the Rosemont neighborhood and found exactly what he was looking for. Two men were fighting brutally. He cracked the window to hear their argument.

"You think you can just run from payin' me, you stupid fucker?" One man yelled, while beating on the other's head.

The man he was attempting to beat up fell to the ground, presumably passed out. The man who had beat the other to a pulp reached down and took all the cash out of the sleeping man's wallet. Hannibal strode up behind him, looking out of place in his spotless gray suit. He made a tsk tsk noise with his tongue. "Now, is this how gentlemen are supposed to settle their debts?"

The man turned around, his fist already raised and ready to sock Hannibal right in the face. Hannibal had anticipated the move and used the momentum to throw the man off balance. He pushed him to the ground and drew a sharp knife from inside his suit. "Perhaps without hands, you will be forced to go about things in a more professional and courteous manner."

He slammed the knife down on the man's hand, slicing it cleanly off. He did the same to the other hand and the man screamed in pain both times, before passing out himself. Hannibal dragged him to the alley and finished slicing him open, harvesting what he might like to freeze for his own enjoyment. Hannibal had to admit, his new vigilante role was fun at times. He was breathing heavily from the adrenaline and pulled himself off of the ground of the alley, knowing there hadn't been a witness during the entire event. Nor would anyone pay him any mind as he walked back to his car and drove away with next week's dinner in a cooler in the trunk of his car. Hannibal drove home, and felt much better about the situation with Alouette. Just as she used her violin as a stress reliever, Hannibal used his cleverly conceived murders to achieve the same release.

**Note** Okay I know these filler chapters aren't the most exciting, but they are necessary for the story to develop, in my opinion. Thanks to those who have reviewed and followed the story!


	14. The Ball

After her long, agonizing week, the Benefit Ball had finally arrived. She spent a couple of hours getting primped for it, but would have spent the entire day if she was going with Hannibal. She pulled out a long black dress from her closet, decided that it would be sophisticated enough for the event. Shelly did the finishing touches on her hair just in time for Eric to arrive in his 2002 blue Ford Taurus.

She was actually surprised at how nicely he cleaned up, but he still didn't really measure up to Hannibal in her mind. They arrived at the venue and instead of dropping her off at the door as Hannibal would have done, they both parked the car and walked to the hotel that was hosting this year. The two of them checked their coats at the door.

Alouette had to admit, the ballroom was beautifully decorated and there were about fifty round tables set up with little place-cards for all the guests. The auxiliary board that was in charge of the ball hadn't written a floor plan so Alouette wondered who they would end up sitting by.

She turned her head toward the bar and had to keep her mouth from dropping open when she saw Hannibal walking towards them, drink in hand. Alouette was confused as to why he was there at first, until she saw the purple pin on his suit that meant he had donated money to the hospital. There was nowhere for Alouette to run and hide, his determined brown eyes locked on hers as he strode up to them in his navy blue suit, looking handsome as always.

"Alouette, what a surprise." He took her hand and raised it to his warm lips, kissing the top of it. "And Eric, It's been a long time." Hannibal shook Eric's hand.

"Good evening, Hannibal," she said steadily.

Ally couldn't tell if he was upset, but she absolutely hated being in this situation. She couldn't exactly ditch her date and spend the entire night with Hannibal, but she felt horrible if Hannibal would be there watching the whole time. All she wanted to do was explain the whole situation to him, but this wasn't the time or place.

The hospital director stood on the stage and spoke into the booming microphone. "If you would all find your seats, dinner will commence shortly."

"Alright, Ally, let's go," Eric said, leading her away from Hannibal, who walked in the opposite direction.

They asked a butler to look them up on the guest list and tell them what their table number was. He told them, "32."

The two of them looked for the table, and Alouette felt like throwing up when she saw that Table 32 was the exact table that Hannibal happened to be seated at. They walked up, and her place card was directly across from his at the table. "Well, we meet again," he said with a smirk.

The other guests filled in around them, and Alouette avoided all eye contact with him as possible. She turned to the brunette woman beside her and talked about the decorations in the ballroom. At a lull in the conversation, she chanced a look at Hannibal, who was chatting it up with pretty, redheaded a nurse that Ally recognized from the hospital.

Alouette turned to Eric and stood, "I need a drink, I'll be back."

She walked to the bar and asked for Grey Goose on the rocks. Ally slugged it in ten seconds flat and then asked for a lemon drop martini. She returned to the table, where the redhead was how whispering in Hannibal's ear as a smirk swept across his features.

_Goddamn it…should have gotten three of these martinis._

Ally knew then that this would be a very long night. The ballroom wait staff brought out their first course of bread and salad, though Ally found that she no longer had much of an appetite. After their salads were cleared, she watched as Hannibal raised his wine glass and spoke to their table. "I would like to make a toast to Johns Hopkins University Hospital, the fine group of people that work there, and to this night."

Everyone raised their glasses to his in unison, including Ally. He looked right into her eyes as he raised his wine glass to his lips and put it down in front of him. Eric saw the copper-haired nurse finish her drink and raised his eyebrows a bit at her. "Sierra, slow it down a little bit," he joked.

"Would you like another drink?" Hannibal asked her. "Come, let's go to the bar." He offered her his arm and they stood, walking to the bar together as knives of jealousy stabbed every part of Alouette's body. Why was he doing this to her? It was as though he was trying to be vindictive and rub it in Ally's face. Perhaps he wasn't the perfect gentleman she had always assumed he was.

The rest of the meal dragged on slowly, and during dessert, the hospital director made another appearance for his spiel about how essential the donors were to the hospital's ability to provide care. After the speaker was finished, Ally went to the bar and ordered another Grey Goose on the rocks. A few minutes after her drink, she was definitely beginning to feel tipsy, and more upset with the night's events with each passing second.

She looked out at the ballroom dance floor only to see Hannibal leading Sierra to a dance. Ally's jealousy continued to course through her veins like fire. _She_ had never even danced with Hannibal.

"So, you want to tell me what's going on between you and Dr. Lecter?" Eric lowered his voice and said into her ear. He sat next to her at the bar, and she assumed that he had followed her gaze.

Ally sighed, knowing there was nothing left to lose. She was already on the verge of tears after seeing how flirty Hannibal was being with Sierra. "We've been seeing each other for a little over a month now. I didn't want to tell you and I figured tonight wouldn't be that big of a deal."

Eric was quiet for a moment and then said, "You know, Ally, you could have just told me that in the first place. I would have been fine with just being friends with you, but you just sent mixed signals."

"I just didn't want to hurt you! And I really didn't mean to send mixed signals, I'm just so bad at saying no to people," Alouette said.

"I'm not offended; you aren't really my type anyways. I'd rather just sit and watch TV with a girl, but you like this kind of stuff. Not my thing. And I know that we just don't have the chemistry that you and Dr. Lecter seem to have. So it's fine, I'm not mad Alouette. I don't want you to be miserable the entire night. We could always try to make him jealous back."

Ally was completely shocked, but a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders at Eric's words. She was so happy that he understood where she was coming from and even wanted to help her. "Thank you so much for understanding Eric."

She was absolutely tipsy and her words were beginning to slur, which was always a bad sign for Alouette. "Let's go dance, Alouette. Show him what he's missing." Eric smiled at her and offered her his arm, and she realized that she had really misjudged Eric. Ally thought he was so desperate to date her and would be so jealous, but he was turning out to be a really good friend to her. It made her feel conceited for thinking that he was so bent on being with her before, but was happy that it wasn't the case. Certainly, it made things simpler.

She took his am and he led her to the dance floor. It was a slower song. "Can you dance?" she asked.

"Barely, so you should probably lead," he said.

They were standing around ten feet from Hannibal and Sierra, as he effortlessly led her in the dance. Alouette couldn't remember being so jealous in her entire life. She watched as he whispered into Sierra's ear once more and she giggled.

"I can't take this anymore, Eric. I need some air."

"Want me to come with?" he asked.

"No, it's alright."

"Would you be horribly offended if I asked Nancy to dance with me?" he asked her. Nancy was an occupational therapist that also worked at the hospital. Ally thought she was pretty and wasn't surprised that Eric had a little crush on her as well. After Eric's recent selflessness with her, Ally realized that he really deserved to be with someone and she didn't want her little crisis to ruin his night.

"Go have fun, Eric. Thank you so much for everything! And don't worry about me, I'm going to call a taxi and have them pick me up." She hugged him before going to the bar once more and getting a cosmopolitan before picking her coat up at the coat check and heading outside.

She dialed the taxi service on her cell phone and asked for one as soon as possible. They informed her that it would be around twenty minutes when they got there, due to a traffic accident in the city. While she was waiting, Ally sat down on a bench in front of the hotel. Images of Hannibal flirting and dancing with Sierra raced through her mind, and she couldn't close them out no matter how hard she tried. Her instincts had always told her that he was too good to be true, and she clearly should have listened to them earlier. Ally thought about how connected she had felt with him and how special he made her feel, realizing that it had just been bullshit all along. She was just another girl in his long line. With all of this in her mind, she couldn't help but start to cry.

"Alouette…"

The bench shifted a little and she refused to look at him as he sat down. "Leave me alone."

"You left your date inside," he said.

"Well so did you apparently," Ally wiped her eyes. "I'm going home."

"Why are you so upset?"

"Why the fuck do you think?" She turned her head and looked him straight in the eye, giving him an incredulous look. "I mean really, Hannibal. What the _fuck_?"

He looked at her for a moment, and calmly said "I do not know what to say Alouette. You were the one who came with the date, not me."

"Then what the hell are you doing with Sierra, dancing, whispering things into her ear? Are you going to go to your place after, or are you just going to lead her on for over a month without taking things anywhere?"

Hannibal's voice grew deeper as he narrowed his eyes at her, and she realized she had never heard him angry before. "You cannot just accuse me with these double standards, Alouette. I will not apologize for anything, for I have not wronged you." She hated his tone; it sounded as though he was trying to talk down to her.

"Eric is just a friend and I guarantee you haven't seen us giggling and flirting all night. It's like you're just trying to rub it in just to spite me. So yeah, it does feel as though you have wronged me."

"Regardless of what you think our relationship is, Alouette, you and I were never exclusive. If I want to speak to someone, or flirt with them for that matter, it is absolutely none of your business. Nor is it my business if you choose to date other men. I never thought you could be so selfish, just expecting me to sit back and wait for you while you play the field."

Upon hearing Hannibal's words, Ally felt as though she was punched in the gut. Her taxi arrived and she stood. "Goodnight." Her voice sounded numb. She turned away from him and tears were streaming down her face once more, though there was nothing she could do to stop them.

**Note** Ahh so much has happened. Please review! #dramadramadrama.


	15. All Apologies

**Note** Okay, I know you are all mad at Alouette, but I promise, she gets a little better and more down to earth in these next few chapters! Please R&R(:

Hannibal stood at his living room window, waiting. If she was running, he knew that he would see her soon. He watched for her familiar pink, purple, or blue running clothes that hugged her body in a pleasant way. Ten minutes passed and he sighed, his head pounding with a sudden headache . It had been a few days since the fiasco at the ball, and Alouette was still just as present in Hannibal's mind as before. She hadn't run by his house one time since their fight. He forced himself away from the window, and wondered how he could fill his time so that she wouldn't be on his mind constantly. He wondered what he used to think about before her; before the ball, she was always on his mind and he was always looking forward to the next moment they would spend together. Now, Hannibal simply felt empty. He hated himself for getting so wrapped up in her and allowing her to change him so much. At the same time, he hated himself for letting her walk away that night as well.

Earlier that week, during his most recent psychiatrist appointment with Dr. Du Maurier, he had mentioned their falling out and the reasons behind it. She had told Hannibal that he had invested a lot of time and emotion in Alouette, and should be careful before letting her go so easily. She suggested that they talk about things and attempt to work them out, though Hannibal didn't see how that would be possible. He had never expected her to deceive him like that, and though he hid very large secrets from her, he hated the idea of her hiding anything from him. He couldn't quite shake the feeling he experienced upon first seeing her on Eric's arm at the ball. It was betrayal unlike anything he had ever known, and he felt such a fire inside. Of course, he knew that he had reacted in the wrong way and shouldn't have been so openly flirty with another woman, but he wanted to prove a point to Alouette at the same time.

Still, Hannibal found it necessary to sort out his feelings and replay the situation over and over in his head to try and figure out the best solution. While he took a few days to decide whether or not he wanted to talk to Alouette about the other night, he attempted to keep himself thoroughly busy. He bounced between his many hobbies, listening to old Bach records, cooking, drawing, and even planning to kill again to see if he could find peace. But he found that he had no motivation to do anything besides lay on his long sofa and stare up to the ceiling, and when he finally dragged himself up, everything he seemed to do led his mind back to her again. Nothing would bring him solace as her face appeared in front of his eyes whenever he closed them. That afternoon, he picked himself up and paced around for a bit, deciding to try and fix something to eat, although his appetite had almost completely vanished.

Hannibal checked his downstairs freezer to see what kinds of remains he would have to work with that evening. He opened his recipe card box and shuffled through, choosing one at random. The recipe card he pulled out and looked at called for three cups of cabernet sauvignon. He remembered it as the wine that Alouette had chosen that first night they enjoyed dinner together. Hannibal swore, angry at himself for thinking of her again, and picked up the wine glass he had been drinking from, smashing it against the ground. He rubbed his temples for a moment before sinking to the floor and sitting amongst the broken glass. He found no urge to clean, but the sharp edges made him think of the knife that he could have killed Alouette with so long ago, which would have prevented all of this. Hannibal regretted letting so much get out of hand, and it was simply too late for him to put things back the way they were supposed to be. There was no way he could bring himself to kill her now, it seemed. Now he was too emotionally invested in her.

Hannibal picked up the glass, piece by piece with his careful hands. He decided to skip dinner and returned the meat he had chosen to the freezer. Hannibal knew what he had to do, and he picked up his car keys, locking his front door behind him.

He rang the doorbell and she was at it about a minute later, wearing white shorts and a turquoise blue shirt that brought out her eyes. Hannibal fought the urge to take her face in his hands and kiss her small lips until everything was better. His good sense knew that doing so wouldn't really solve their problems. "May I come in?" he asked instead.

"Yes," she said quietly, with a small smile. It seemed a complete reverse from her off-putting behavior at the ball.

He walked inside and they sat facing each other at her kitchen table. It was completely silent as she brought each of them a glass of water. "Alouette, we need to talk about the other night."

"I'm really sorry, for everything. I know it wasn't my place at all to say something to you about Sierra, especially after lying to you."

"I wouldn't mind if you could explain to me why you went with Eric as your date, instead of me." Hannibal braced himself, worried as to what he was going to hear. He hated to admit it to himself, but he would feel absolutely crushed if she actually had feelings for Eric as well.

She sighed. "He asked me right after I saw the invitation. I didn't have a chance to think about it and I'm horrible at saying no to people. He's a good guy, and I didn't want to hurt him either. I really misread the situation and thought that he had a big crush on me, but I think he really just saw me as a friend the whole time. I promised myself that I would make it clear that we were just friends and tell him about you after the ball. I didn't tell you because I knew that nothing was going to happen between him and me and I didn't want to upset you over something so trivial like that. I'm really sorry I didn't say something. Of course, I wanted to go with you…but you didn't ask me anyways. You didn't tell me you were planning on going either."

"I did ask whether or not you were busy on Friday, and you said you were. I wanted to ask you as well, but was not going to ask you to cancel any plans you had."

"I guess I forgot you asked me that," Alouette said sheepishly. "I know I really don't have a right to say anything about it, but it did really hurt me when you were flirting with Sierra while you were there. Like I said before, it was as though you were trying to hurt me. I've never seen you act so vindictively…I felt like I was seeing a different side of you that I didn't know existed."

"I admit, I was trying to make you a bit jealous, but not in such a way that would really hurt you," Hannibal told her. "At any rate, Sierra is only a friend. She began her work at the hospital during the last year of my residency. So we were just catching up; it was merely a coincidence that we were placed at the same table. I am sorry for the way I made you feel, though. I also apologize for this new side of me you saw, but you know I'm not perfect Alouette."

"I don't know, you had me thinking you were pretty perfect there for a while," she smiled at him. "Well I'm not mad at you for catching up with someone, I guess it just seemed like more. It could have been the alcohol that made me overreact too, who knows. Also, it sort of hurt when you were talking about not being exclusive. It hurts that you don't want that with me, and you would rather just keep your options open it seems." Alouette looked like she was on the verge of tears again while talking to him about everything that had happened, but he was relieved that she was being so honest with him and not beating around the bush about the situation.

"I never said that is what I wanted, Alouette.. And if you wanted to be more, why did you fail to bring it up earlier?"

"Why should I be the one to make the first move? What is it that you want for us, Hannibal?"

He paused, unsure of what he should say. He was always so cautious by preventing his feelings for her from growing too quickly, but it seemed that they had already spun out of control without his knowledge. He placed one of his hands over hers on the table and looked at her beautiful sapphire eyes. "I have never felt jealousy like I did when I saw you on his arm, Alouette." It was true; Hannibal hadn't felt such a sudden urge to violently kill someone in such a long time, but Eric had awakened that desire that night.

"Really?" Alouette asked him. "I couldn't tell if you were jealous or just mad at me."

"A little of both," he admitted. "But feeling that jealousy made me realize that I do want you to be mine, which is a desire I have never felt for someone. Seeing you with him made me worry that you did not want the same. Also, when you confronted me about flirting with Sierra, I felt that you were being really hypocritical. And though I did mean what I said when I pointed out that we both have a right to flirt with other people, it doesn't mean that I want to." Hannibal felt strange; putting his true feelings out there wasn't something he was used to.

"I don't want to flirt with or date anyone else, Hannibal, but I guess I just feel like I'm always the one who is waiting for you to take the next step. I've been ready, but you just take things so slow I wonder if you're just losing interest in me sometimes."

"The reason I take things slow is that so many people ruin things by diving in. I really wanted to know you first, Alouette. And no, I could never lost interest in you. I do truly care for you. I know that I chose the wrong actions to reflect that the other night, and I am so sorry." It was the half-truth. Hannibal didn't mention the fact that being heavily involved with her would forever change his life. For better or worse, he still wasn't sure. All he knew is that he was now miserable without her around. "I must admit, I do want you all to myself, Alouette."

He leaned over after his apology and kissed her forehead. She gave him a small smile. "I forgive you, Hannibal. I am really sorry I didn't tell you about Eric, too. I was trying to avoid an argument, but it triggered a situation much worse. I didn't mean to make you feel like I was just making you wait around for me." She looked down at his hand and drew little patterns on it with her finger as she spoke. She looked up at his face. "I really want you to be mine too, Hannibal."

Hannibal felt euphoria course throughout his veins at her words. "Then I think our solution is perfectly clear." Before his next words came from his mouth, he paused, wondering if he was ready for the next step. He touched her cheek and tucked her hair behind an ear. He ignored every instinct that screamed at him throughout his body to distance himself once again and said: "I'm all yours, Alouette."

**Note** Aw, warm fuzzies.


	16. Another Call

"I told you so," Shelly said, sitting in the spa chair next to Ally. They had decided to go out for manicures and pedicures that afternoon.

"Well, sometimes I have to learn the hard way." She had just told Shelly about her experience at the ball.

"So you two talked obviously, otherwise you wouldn't be in such a good mood."

"Yes, things are better. And he and I are now official," Alouette said with a proud tone.

"Wow, well that's great! I have to admit, it's a bit weird to think of you having a boyfriend."

Ally felt the same about it; she hadn't been serious with anyone since Tom. Come to think of it, he hadn't tried to contact her or anything lately, which was surprising. She wondered if he knew that she and Hannibal were serious, and what he might do when he found out. Ally found herself worrying about Hannibal, but knew that he could easily take Tom out if it came to a fight. Then again, she wondered if Hannibal had ever done anything remotely violent in his life; he just didn't seem like the type.

"How are you and Brian?" Ally asked. The two of them had gotten back together once again, which hadn't surprised her in the slightest. She wanted them to just stay together this time, and avoid their petty arguments.

"We're good. He's at the gym and we're meeting for dinner. Are you and Hannibal doing anything tonight?"

"Dinner at his place," Alouette said, smiling to herself.

"Why don't you two ever go out? You are going to get sick of his cooking," Shelly said.

"No, he is a great cook. Maybe you and Brian can come to dinner at his house sometime!" Alouette suggested.

Shelly scoffed. "Yeah, can you imagine Brian and Hannibal hanging out? That would be quite the sight."Ally laughed to herself at the thought. Brian was so jock-like and casual, while Hannibal seemed the complete opposite.

The two of them finished their pampering and Ally returned home. She began the dessert that she would be taking to Hannibal's house with her, because he had recently requested that she baked something for him to try. After hours of trying to decide on a recipe that day, she had finally picked one: a dark chocolate flourless torte with a raspberry ganache. Ally quickly prepared the recipe, and went upstairs to get changed after popping the torte in the oven.

The clock read seven by the time she was ready, and she put the finishing touches on her dessert. Hannibal had told her to bring her violin over that night, so she packed it up and put it in her car for the evening, though she knew it meant that he would want her to play for him. Even the thought of playing for one other person made her nervous, but she supposed he had already heard her once before anyways.

He greeted her at the door with a kiss on the cheek and welcomed her inside, taking the dessert and violin out of her small hands. "Thank you," she said.

"Not a problem." He led her to the dining room and pulled out the chair for her. The drill was the same as always, but the nature of his movements seemed different. Hannibal seemed to be more comfortable and not so formal. He poured her a glass of Syrah, which of course meant they would be eating red meat, not that Ally minded. She would eat basically anything that he put in front of her. The beautiful smells wafted from the kitchen as he disappeared for a few moments to get their food. After her first dinner at his home, he hadn't presented her a five course meal, but she wasn't complaining. One main course was plenty of food for Ally, especially one exploding with flavors that Hannibal always presented.

He served her a plate garnished with fresh herbs. "Tonight I have prepared a flank steak with a basil pasta." He sat down across from her and said, "I cannot wait to taste the dessert you brought tonight. May I ask what it is?" Ally had brought it in a covered container so that he couldn't see.

"No, it's a surprise!" she said.

"Well then I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise." His lips curled into a small smile. "How was your day, Alouette?"

It was strange to hear him ask such a simple question, and she found herself wondering what it would be like to live with him and come home from work to see him. "Well, I went to get my nails done with Shelly. She and her ex got back together."

"Perhaps we could treat them to dinner one of these nights," he suggested.

"I said the same to her and she didn't really take me up on my offer. They are fine with going out and getting bar food or Taco Bell. I don't know that either of them would truly appreciate our kind of dining."

"Not many people appreciate my kind of dining," Hannibal smirked as though there was a joke she had missed. She was confused for a moment before waving it out of her mind.

They finished eating and Hannibal cleared their plates. "Ready for dessert?" she asked him.

He nodded and she followed him into the kitchen. After he put the dishes in the sink, she shooed him back into the dining room as she cut the torte and hunted for some pretty dessert plates in his cupboards. She finally found what she was looking for and served each of them a slice, topping it with the raspberry ganache. Ally had to admit, it looked pretty tasty. Still, as she brought the plates to the dining room where Hannibal waited, she couldn't help but be nervous. He had never tasted her baking before, and she hoped his exquisite palate would approve. She set down the plate in front of him and said, "I made a chocolate torte with raspberry ganache."

"It looks delectable."

"Well, taste it and tell me what you really think," she laughed, waiting to taste it for herself until he had taken the first bite. She watched as he raised a small forkful up to his full lips.

He smiled after a moment and said, "It tastes as wonderful as it looks, Alouette." She found that she could breathe again, so she began eating her dessert as well. It was rich and chocolately, which is why she made it so often when she was PMS-ing every month.

After finishing dessert, they took their wine and moved to his living room. She loved the way his large hands gently pulled her close to him and she rested her head against him. "I still feel really guilty about everything that happened last week," Ally admitted, referring to the ball.

He hesitated and kissed the top of her head. "Do not feel that way, Alouette. We have started a new chapter together, and this time there will not be any confusion between us about expectations. I just want you to know you can always be honest with me."

She wondered how he was so gracious to her, and how easily he had forgiven her after she had hurt him so. Ally didn't like the way he acted in his anger, but figured she had deserved it and at least he had also apologized. It was a courtesy Tom would have never offered her. On the other hand, all this talk of trust made Ally wonder why Hannibal rarely told her anything personal about his family or past. She was never one to pry, but it really bothered her at times. She still felt as though he knew her so completely, but she had only scraped the surface with him. Ally wished more than anything that he would open up and she could know him fully.

"Will you play for me, Alouette?"

She was really hoping he would have forgotten about the violin, but knew his sharp memory wouldn't allow it. "Do I have to? I'm going to embarrass myself."

"I have already heard you once; I don't see what you are so nervous about. You play beautifully." She didn't say anything and he added, "I will join you on the piano if you would rather."

"Fine," she said begrudgingly. She took it out of the case and played a few strings to warm up. He asked her which Bach piece she could easily play by memory, and she named one.

"You are in luck. I think I can manage to remember that one as well." He sat down at the piano and she stood near him.

They began to play and Bach's music filled the air. Hannibal looked right at her with his deep brown eyes as she played, and while she was nervous, she found that she was confident enough with the song. She enjoyed the way that the piano and violin sounded together, her two favorite instruments. In addition, Ally loved watching the way Hannibal's able hands flew over the keys with such accuracy and precision.

They concluded the song and Hannibal took his hands from the keys. "We could be a duet in the orchestra," he teased. Then, turning serious once more, he said, "I could really listen to you play for hours."

"Thanks, you too," Ally said. She had actually enjoyed playing with him quite a bit. He stood from the piano, his frame stretching far above her small head. Sometimes she forgot just how tall he was. She put her violin away and finished off her glass of wine.

He refilled her glass and his own, sitting down in one of his expensive looking armchairs. He took her hand and pulled her to him and then tugged on her waist so that she would sit on his lap. Ally obeyed each of his cues, and cuddled up to his warm body. She couldn't quite place his cologne, but it was slightly spicy and she found that she liked it.

They were quiet for a few moments as his hand stroked her bare arm. "Has Tom tried to contact you at all lately? During those days we were not speaking to one another, I was worried about you."

Ally loved how sweet Hannibal could be to her. He seemed so honest in his feelings for her. "No, he hasn't talked to me lately. He called that night we went to the orchestra, and said some strange things about you, but I know Tom, and I know he was just making up everything."

Suddenly, Hannibal seemed to be listening very intently as to what she was saying. "And what exactly did Tom say he knew about me?"

"He said he followed you to the hotel and witnessed something you did. He didn't tell me what it was, which is why I'm pretty sure he was just making it up." She laughed a little, thinking about her crazy, delusional ex-husband. "In fact, I told him that he should talk to you instead, since you're a psychiatrist and all."

"I would have no desire to treat such a person. There are some people that deserve to suffer either at the hand of another or with their own madness, and I believe Tom is one of those people."

Ally found what Hannibal said to be a bit strange, and she was surprised by it. He didn't seem like the kind of man that would wish suffering on anyone. She supposed it just meant that he really hated Tom for what he did to her. Still, she found that she agreed with Hannibal and rather wished Tom would suffer as well, though that seemed to be a far off goal. She would consider it a success even if he was finally prosecuted by the authorities.

"Well I am sorry he called you, Ally. Next time he does so, please tell me right away."

"I will," she promised.

Across the house, Ally heard her phone and its high pitched ring. Could it possibly be him? She leapt from Hannibal's lap and walked to find her phone in the front hallway. It was a number that she didn't recognize. "Hello?" she breathed into the phone.

"Alouette, you never learn. You don't belong with him." Tom's voice flowed into her ear.

"Where are you Tom?"

Hannibal appeared in the hallway, looking concerned. "That really isn't what you should be worried about," Tom said. "But I'm sure you're with your prissy boyfriend now. Can I speak with him, Ally?"

"No, why would you want to talk to him?"

After Hannibal heard her say that, he held out his hand and looked at her expectantly. He took it from her and raised it up to his face. In his usual, calm voice, he spoke. "Tom, I have heard so much about you."


	17. Sweet Nothings

**Note** There is some more M action in this chapter, be aware. This one picks up right where Chapter 16 left off! Thank you sooo much for reading and reviewing!

He began walking toward the front door with the cell phone in his hand and held up his other hand as Alouette began to follow him, signaling that she should stay inside. She went back to the living room, her heart beating a thousand beats per minute it seemed. Ally knew she was in good hands, and that as a psychiatrist, Hannibal likely knew the best way to deal with him.

Ally waited impatiently on the couch and about five minutes later, Hannibal came into the room and handed her the phone. He kissed the side of her face and said, "You won't need to worry about Tom for much longer, Alouette." She wondered what he meant by that, and figured that Hannibal would likely find some way to bring him to the authorities. Ally supposed he had some connections in that area if he often dealt with people who could easily turn violent.

"What did he say?" Alouette asked, nervous as to what she might hear. He looked surprisingly calm and reserved as ever. She wondered how he became so used to dealing with people like Tom on an everyday basis.

"Like I said, you will not have to worry about this much longer," he reassured her. Obviously, she wouldn't be getting any more information out of him about his phone call with her ex.

She desperately wanted to know what Tom said, but Hannibal leaned down and kissed her, distracting her from all her worries. As his lips crashed against hers, he moved her legs so that they were wrapped around his waist. He easily picked her up with his strong arms and carried her to his bedroom, kissing her neck and face every step of the way.

He set her down on his bed and began unbuttoning the front of her shirt; she was surprised that he was actually taking matters into his own hands for once and didn't simply wait for him to leave. And for the first time, she pulled back just a bit. He looked up at her with a confused look. She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek. "This is my first time in your bedroom, Hannibal. Can I just explore for a moment?"

He smiled at her and let her go. "I suppose." He sat on his king sized bed as she peeked in his dresser and nightstand. She opened his underwear drawer and held up a pair of briefs. "Oh, so sexy, Hannibal." He gave her an amused look. On top of the dresser, she noticed a pile of drawings. Ally picked up a few and noticed that they were all of her, and in several of them she was naked.

She was flattered, to say the least, and couldn't believe he could be so accurate simply by memory.. "You could have asked me to pose for you, you know."

He laughed and said "I would enjoy that very much."

Ally knew she was keeping him waiting, so she put down the drawings and made her way back to him. She stood before him as he quickly completed his handiwork and removed her purple shirt in a swift motion. He pulled her close and licked her stomach, tracing a line down from her belly button to her pants. She watched, in somewhat of an awe, as he unbuttoned and unzipped them with his teeth, pulling them away from her body with his hands as well. He kissed her lean inner thigh before sitting back and admiring her in her bright blue bra and matching thong. It was her turn to remove his clothes, then, and she unbuttoned his shirt, taking it off to reveal his toned shoulders and arms. She ran her hands down his chest and over his stomach and he closed his eyes at her touch. Her little hands wrestled with his button and zipper and finally, as she revealed his boxers, they were even.

She pushed him down so he was lying on his back and she climbed on top of him. Through his boxers, she could tell that he had an erection, and longed to see his large cock once more. She kissed and licked his neck while her hips moved against his. Hannibal reached around and grabbed her ass, pushing her against him even harder. She felt his extremely hard cock against her now-wet pussy. Hannibal easily unhooked her bra, throwing it to the side. He flipped her so that he was on top and balanced his weight on one of his arms, while the other hand gently traced her body. He began at her face, touched her neck, and then moved to her chest. His fingers circled her nipples, ensuring that they stayed hardened, and he lowered his head to lick and bite them both a little. Ally couldn't help but let out a little moan. He moved his hand to her legs, and ran it up and down softly, never quite touching her pussy. His hand rubbed her inner thigh teasingly, and finally she couldn't take it anymore. Ally looked at him as she forced his hand onto her pussy, and saw his eyes dance amusedly. She certainly never hesitated when letting him know what she wanted him to do to her. He kissed her breasts again as he felt her over her underwear, stroking her gently. He peeled off her small panties and circled her clit with a finger, before gently pushing his index finger inside of her. She let out another small moan and she began to run her own hands over Hannibal. They kissed as he fingered her and she placed a hand on his cock, gently stroking it. He let out a bit of pre-cum that she collected on her finger and Ally pulled away from him so he could watch her bring her finger to her lips and suck the cum off of it.

He looked at her hungrily and inserted another finger inside of her. She was very tight, so she wasn't quite used to two. He fingered her faster and she stroked his cock faster in response. She pulled him close with her free hand and whispered in his ear, "Please, please Hannibal. I need you."

He pulled out his fingers slowly and crushed his lips against hers once more. He removed his boxers and readied himself to fuck her by reaching in his nightstand and pulling out a condom. His long frame towered above her petite body as she straddled him and tried to pull his hips down to hers. Instead of pressing himself inside her, he took his cock in his hand and began rubbing around the outside of her pussy with it. "Hannibal," she begged him again.

Finally, he obeyed. She gasped, as he slid his huge cock inside of her tight pussy. It hurt a bit, but she figured it was likely because he was so big and she hadn't had sex in a long time. He let out a small grunt as he pushed inside. "Am I hurting you?" he asked.

"A little, but don't stop,' she pleaded with him. She knew that the pain would get better as he kept going. He pushed his cock all the way into her and she almost screamed. It hurt and felt so good at the same time.

"Alouette, you feel amazing," he breathed, his mouth close to hers. He leaned down and kissed her passionately as he began to thrust in and out of her faster.

"So do you," she moaned and he commanded her to say his name.

"Oh , Hannibal," she obeyed, as his cock slid in and out of her easily, thanks to how wet he had made her. "Faster, faster!" she panted.

He breathed heavily against her. She pulled his hair and rain her nails up and down his spine, which made him groan. To her dismay, he suddenly pulled out of her and flipped her around, shoving his cock back inside of her as he fucked her from behind. "Alouette," he said with passion. Her breasts bounced with every thrust as they moved against each other and he reached around with his hands and groped them. He pinched her nipples until she let out a whimper of pleasure. Hannibal pulled out of her once more; he seemed to be torturing her; all she wanted was for him to stay inside her. He flipped her around so she was on her back once more, and slid his cock into her, thrusting harder and faster than ever before. He breathed heavily against her ear and she ran her nails along his spine once more.

She moaned his name loudly as she gave into her orgasm, her eyes rolling back into her head in an amount of pleasure she had never experienced before. Ally had known that Hannibal would be a good lover, but what she just felt stretched beyond anything she had ever dreamed was possible. He came shortly after she did, collapsing next to her and kissing her softly. She turned to face him, her small fingers tracing his high cheekbones. He looked right into her eyes as he said with all the certainty in the world, "Alouette, I love you."

Her heart beat so violently against her chest that she wondered if Hannibal could feel it. "I love you too," she said, pulling him close and kissing his lips once more. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she had been happier than that moment, and she almost cried from joy. Hannibal promised her he would be back to cuddle as he rose to discard his used, filled condom in the bathroom.

Alouette climbed under the blankets, hoping that he would finally allow her to spend the night. All she wanted to do was lay in his strong arms and feel protected by him, especially since all of the happenings with Tom during that evening. He returned to her in bed and kissed her slowly, joining her under the blankets. Their bodies were still warm and sticky with a slight sweat from the workout they had just completed. He held her naked body close and she loved the way his strong chest felt against her small back. Hannibal continued to stroke her body, and said, "Alouette, your skin is so soft."

"Thank you," she smiled and closed her eyes, sleepy from her energy-consuming orgasm. "I don't want this night to end."

"Nor do I," he said. "But you look pretty worn out."

She could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smirking. "Yes, thanks to you, I am." He laughed a bit against her neck; she could feel his warm breath. "Hannibal, I'm just curious, when did you first know you loved me?"

He was quiet for a few moments and then answered, "I knew when I heard you playing _Aria Da Capo _on your violin that day. When were you sure, Alouette?"

"I believe I first knew when we attended the orchestra," Alouette thought, thinking about how serene he had looked while listening to the _Goldberg Variations._ She turned toward him and watched as he smiled at her and then closed his eyes, clearly tired as well. She kissed him and said, "Goodnight, Hannibal."

"Goodnight, my little Alouette."

…..

Hannibal waited until she was asleep. He loved the way her mouth was slightly open and thought she looked beautiful as she slept. He was careful when getting out of the bed to prevent from waking her. As much as he wanted to stay in bed with her for days, he knew what he had to do. Hannibal slipped on his clothes and glanced at her petite frame once more before exiting the bedroom. He was careful to shut the door quietly behind him. He was a bit tired from their sexual escapades, but knew that he would have all the energy in the world for what he was about to do.


	18. Forcing a Hand?

**Note** Hope you are all ready for this one. It's going to get pretty crazy up in here(;

Hannibal awoke with his arm slid comfortable around Alouette's waist. She was looking at him when he woke up and kissed him as soon as he opened his eyes. "Good morning," he gave her a small smile. "How long have you been awake?"

"Around an hour or so," she said, her eyes looking bright.

"You could have woken me up earlier, I don't want you to be bored waiting for me," he said.

"I didn't mind. I was so comfortable, I didn't want to move." She smiled at him and kissed him again. "I love waking up next to you."

"As do I." Hannibal stretched his arms and then wrapped her naked body in them again, feeling her soft, ivory skin against his fingertips. He felt her stomach rumble under his hand. "You are hungry, let's make something to eat."

She was hesitant at first, but they finally got out of bed. Hannibal put his boxers on and a robe over, and he stopped her before she put on her clothes. "Here, this will be more comfortable." He gave her another one of his robes to wear for the morning. He liked the idea of her naked body just underneath and easily accessible.

Alouette grinned and told him she was going to freshen up a bit in his bathroom, and he said that he would meet her downstairs and begin breakfast, deciding to make sausage and banana crepes. She joined him in the kitchen just after he prepared the batter for the crepes and added his homemade sausage to the pan.

"It smells wonderful, Hannibal. It's just like the breakfast at the hotel you gifted me." Alouette had a small smile on her rounded face. "It seems like so long ago, doesn't it? We met in probably the most random way possible."

"I never would have expected all of this to happen, Alouette," he admitted, entirely truthfully. "I am so glad it did though." Hannibal kissed the top of her head softly, and then poured the batter into a hot pan.

He wondered if he would still be glad that night.

"Me too, Hannibal," she said.

Alouette helped him finish the breakfast, and they ate together in the kitchen instead of the dining room. "Alouette there is something I'd like you to see tonight, if you'll accompany me."

"Of course, may I ask what it is?"

"I am afraid it will just have to be a surprise," he told her.

"Will you at least tell me what I should wear?"

"Something you will be comfortable in."

She gave him a confused look, but thankfully didn't ask any more about it. After the two of them finished breakfast, they went back to bed for a while to cuddle and kiss with an abundance of sweet talk. Around two or so, she changed back into her clothes from the night before as Hannibal watched in sheer pleasure, eating her body with his eyes during every movement she made. She drove home and he made plans to pick her up around eight.

Hannibal was nervous, knowing that the night ahead would change everything. He had so enjoyed their innocent relationship, but knew that it wouldn't last that way forever. Hannibal needed to face the possibility of losing her before things ever turned into even more. He stood by his window as she backed out of his driveway.

He had meant what he said the night before, when he told her he loved her. He could have never expected to meet a woman like Alouette, with so many of the same interests and standards as he. It made him feel so elated as she told him that she loved him back, but he knew it wasn't true, and knew she wouldn't feel the same if she knew the truth about him. That thought absolutely tortured him, but he knew he would never be able to change his past or lifestyle for her.

Hannibal was exhausted from the night before; he had crawled back into bed just two hours before Alouette woke up. He decided that he had to try and get some sleep; they were going to have a big night ahead of them.

…..

Before Hannibal left his house to pick up Alouette, he had the impulse to drink a glass of wine to calm his nerves, but decided against it. He knew that he shouldn't mute any of his senses.

She greeted him with a kiss as she got in his car and asked once more where they were headed. "It is a bit of a drive," Hannibal said, driving out of the city. "But I am afraid that I cannot say much more than that."

He took several back roads and they ended up on a dirt road. As Hannibal's car bobbed up and down over the uneven ground, a small cabin came into view. "Oh Hannibal, how romantic," she smiled at him.

Hannibal said nothing back, and did not smile back at her. His heart wanted to race, but he calmed himself down as he turned the car off. He got out and she met him in front of his car. Hannibal took her small hand in his and leaned down to kiss her, knowing it may very well be the last time he would do so. He had the strong urge to cry, but held it all back as he looked at her pretty face shining in the moonlight.

"Follow me," he said, leading her into the cabin. He opened the door and tightened his grip on her hand.

Her eyes widened in horror as they swept across the cabin, seeing Tom with a bruised eye, gagged and tied to a chair. His eyes widened as he saw her as well.

"Hannibal…what is this?" she was breathing heavily and turned to run. He held her hand tighter to prevent her from leaving the cabin. He shut the door and pulled out a padlock from his pants pocket, attaching it to the door handle. Only he would know where the key was. There were no windows to the cabin or any other means of escape.

She between Hannibal and Tom, in both horror and confusion. Hannibal walked to Tom and untied the cloth that prevented him from speaking. "I told you, Ally. Why didn't you listen to me?"

"It is rude to talk about someone right in front of them, or at all for that matter, Tom. Perhaps without your tongue you may find it easier to obey this common courtesy." Hannibal drew a knife from his pocket.

"Ally, please. I'm sorry, I promise I will never bother you again, just make him stop!" Tom begged. Hannibal looked at her as she stood completely still, pale as a ghost. She had her back against the wall, as if she were trying to stay as far away from them as possible. He waited for Alouette to protest as he attached a clothespin to Tom's tongue and stretched it out of his mouth, as he began to slice into it.

Alouette had become even more pale and covered her mouth in horror. She began to cry and Hannibal forced himself to finish his task instead of going to comfort her. Tom screamed in pain with each pass of the blade, until finally it was cleanly removed. He dropped the tongue in a Ziploc bag and sealed it. "I told you that you would not have to listen to him for much longer," he said to her, noticing that had slid down the wall and was sitting on the floor, crying.

Meanwhile, Tom's head slumped forward as he passed out and Hannibal pulled out a syringe and injected him with adrenaline to wake him, and then gave him another shot of heavy drugs. While he waited for both to act, he walked over to Alouette and kneeled beside her. She was shaking and crying, covering her mouth with a hand as if attempting to prevent herself from screaming.

"Alouette." He stroked her hair and she neither looked at him nor tried to move from his touch as he had expected. "I did not bring you here to simply watch me torture your ex husband. Although I want nothing more than to cause his death by my own hands, we both know that it is not my place."

He held out the bloody knife to Alouette that he had just used to remove Tom's tongue. "Alouete, you and I both know that this is something you need to do. Do not feel any guilt or remorse; think of how Tom wouldn't have wasted a second, debating whether or not to harm you. Think of the child he robbed you of Alouette, and all of the guilt you have carried with you ever since. Think of how you should have had someone who would protect and provide for you at all times. Think of how he cheated you from a normal life. You deserve this Alouette. He once held all the power in the world over you, but the tables have turned now, haven't they? You determine his fate now."

She didn't look at Hannibal as she took the knife in her hand and slowly walked toward Tom. Through his drugged haze, he could still recognize her. She bent down on her knees and held her face close to his, looking in his eyes as she made a long, deep slit through his neck. Tom's eyes screamed pain as well as his tongue-less mouth. She watched him struggle for a moment before raising her knife once more and violently stabbing his chest.

"I. Hate. You!" She said, with one stab between each of her words.

Blood flew everywhere, and it splattered throughout her hair and on her face. The entire panorama of her killing and bloody aftermath were likely the most beautiful things Hannibal thought he had ever seen. Alouette dropped the knife with a clang and began to fall backwards as she passed out. Hannibal caught her before her head hit the cement floor and he gently laid her on the ground. He watched with a feeling of extreme triumph and pride as the last light left Tom's eyes.

Hannibal carried Alouette to the car and laid her down in the backseat. Then he went back into the cabin and harvested the organs that he figured would make good meals at some point. Though Tom as a person absolutely disgusted him, Hannibal wasn't one to let an opportunity go to waste. The last thing Hannibal did before returning back to his home was hiding the body in a hole that he had dug the night before. He pushed Tom's body inside and quickly shoveled the dirt on top, covering it with leaves and branches. Hannibal used the cabin often and knew that hunters or anyone else rarely made it to this part of the woods. The likelihood of the body being discovered was probably around one in a billion, if not less.

Hannibal got in the car and glanced in his rearview mirror to see that Alouette was still passed out. He was impressed that she hadn't passed out earlier during the scene as well as the fact that she had actually chosen to kill Tom. Of course, it wasn't quite the same as Hannibal's usual killings that had been more random and spur of the moment before she came along. He wondered how she would have reacted if it were killing someone who she had no vendetta against.

They returned to his home and he carried her inside and to his bedroom. He tied her to a chair without even thinking about gagging her. Then he went to the bathroom to retrieve a washcloth that he soaked with warm water. He gently wiped the dried blood from her sweet face and hair as best as he could. He sat on his bed and waited for her to awaken, once again caught between his calm, sharp killer instincts and his undeniable apprehension for what was about to unfold.


	19. Secrets Revealed

**Note** Alrighty this is what you all have been waiting for! Pleaseee Review(:

Alouette awoke suddenly, disoriented. Her throat was scratchy and dry, and she gave a little cough as she looked around the room and tried to pick out where she was. Immediately, she recognized it and realized that she was in Hannibal's bedroom. He was sitting on the bed, watching her with an unreadable expression. She then noticed that her hands were tied and looked up at Hannibal in both confusion and panic. Ally glanced at the clock and saw that it was two in the morning, and then she felt sick to her stomach as she began to remember the events of that night.

"Are you thirsty, Alouette?"

She nodded in response, in too much shock to say much of anything. Hannibal went to the kitchen presumably and came back with a glass of water, shutting and locking the door behind him. He set the water next to her and leaned down to her chair taking a knife to the rope that held her hands together. Hannibal handed her the water and she drank, looking into his dark eyes.

She could barely think of what to say, but shakily asked, "Hannibal…what just happened?"

"You took care of something that should have been done years ago," he told her in a calm voice. He kneeled in front of her and brushed her blonde bangs out of her eyes.

"But you, Hannibal…his tongue…" She couldn't quite put her words together; her head was spinning and she knew she may pass out again just thinking of it all.

"I wanted revenge for what he did to you too, Alouette. But you had to be the one to finish it. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, how did it feel when you killed him?"

She paused, trying to gauge her feelings. For the most part, she realized that she just felt shock from Hannibal's behavior, not really her own. She had always imagined that Hannibal could never be violent. "I don't feel guilt. I know he deserved it, and he didn't have much of a life anyways," she said carefully.

"Did you feel powerful, Alouette?"

Ally was beginning to wonder why he was prodding her with all these questions. All she wanted to do was to get away from him for a few minutes so she could collect her thoughts and put the pieces of her fragmented feelings back into place. Thinking back to Hannibal's question, she remembered the way it felt to stab someone who had caused her so much pain. "I did feel powerful."

"This power you feel, Alouette. It is like a drug." Hannibal touched her face and neck as her hands remained folded neatly in her lap. "In fact, it is the same drug that I find myself addicted to."

"What are you trying to say, Hannibal?" Her voice sounded panicked and nervous, though she was trying to stay calm.

"Tom wouldn't be the first person I have killed Alouette." Her eyes widened and he continued. "I have killed more people than you can possibly count. Tell me, have you heard of the Chesapeake Ripper on the news?"

She nodded, knowing no words would come.

"I bet you never thought you would meet him."

All Ally could think about was getting away, and her survival instincts kicked in. She leapt from the chair, but he was too quick for her and grabbed her around the waist, tackling her to the floor. He pinned her arms down and his face hovered a few inches above hers. "You're going to kill me," was all she could manage.

"I am so sorry it had to end this way Alouette." He leaned down and kissed her neck, which sent a large shiver up her spine. "I had to tell you; it is not fair to allow you to be with me under false pretenses, or to allow you to believe you love me. I knew all along that I do not belong with someone, but I ignored my instincts and got close to you regardless."

Tears began to stream from the sides of Ally's eyes. "Why do you kill, Hannibal? Is it all for the power?"

"No," he said, his grip that pinned her arms relaxing slightly. "It is to introduce justice in the world." Ally listened as he explained his childhood and his sister Mischa. He explained how he not only killed, but cannibalized his victims because of what the soldiers did to her. She felt sick to her stomach as she realized that the meat he served her always tasted a little richer because, in fact, it was not the meat she was used to consuming at all. "I cannot change the way I am, Alouette. I have been this way for so long. Please, try to understand." Hannibal moved her arms so that he was pinning them with one hand, while the other reached in his suit and extracted a knife.

"Hannibal, I'm trying to understand…" she was crying a little harder, wondering how this could possibly be the same man she fell in love with and how he had been so good at hiding everything from her.

"Do you believe in God, Alouette?" He asked her.

"No," she said. She had cut all ties with religion long ago.

"As I said, I kill to bring justice to the world. My sister was only a little girl, plain and innocent. She had never wronged anyone but had her entire world taken from her. I suppose when they killed her, my world was taken from me as well. Why should people who are rude, disgusting, and only pollute the world with their existence be allowed to live their lives while innocent ones like Mischa are victims every day? I do the work that God would do if He existed. You must shape the world into what you want it to be; there is no one else who will do that for you."

Ally was in pure shock, to say the least, but Hannibal's philosophy and words were the most beautiful she had ever heard, and for a moment, she saw the man she loved underneath his newfound exterior. Then, as she registered the knife in his hand once more, a whole new sensation occurred. It was as though a dam broke in her mind and his large frame towering above her, threatening her life had caused a million memories of her childhood to come flowing back.

There was a whole year of her life she remembered that she had repressed, with the help of a psychiatrist during her first year in Baltimore. She suddenly remembered her old identity and the real reason why she came to the United States. It made sense that being in a life-threatening situation would cause such an explosion of lost feelings, thoughts, and memories, but she wondered why it was triggered with Hannibal and not with her close encounters with Tom. Perhaps it was because she realized that Hannibal had never loved her in the first place, and that thought enough was strong enough to make her feel dead inside.

"I am so sorry Alouette," Hannibal breathed, the knife close to her neck.

"Wait, Hannibal, please," she begged him, her memories whirling through her mind. "I understand."

Suddenly, he looked enraged. "How can you possibly say you understand? You are a food, Alouette!"

"There is more that you don't know about me Hannibal! There is a real reason that I came to the United States. It wasn't to explore." He studied her face and she continued. "My mother and father were very unhappy. He was a horrible man, and had always wanted a son instead of me. He constantly nagged her about having another child; I remember their arguments. I listened in sometimes when they thought I was asleep. One day, she went to the doctor and I remember her crying when she got home. My father had gone to the grocery store and would be back in a few minutes. I remember my mother saying that she loved me and to go to the boarding school and gave me an envelope to hand to our headmaster. I told her I was going and then waited in the kitchen for my father to watch. I looked through a crack in the door as they talked and she told him that she had a medical problem that prevented her from having any more children. At five p.m., in broad daylight, I watched as my father killed my mother and I knew that I would be next if I stayed at the house. I knew he hated me; I was just the daughter he never wanted. I ran to the boarding school and gave them the letter, and I assume it had directions to send me to Baltimore to live with Shelly's family as well as some money to put in my bank account. I arrived in Baltimore, started seeing a shrink that helped me to repress everything that had happened, and changed my last name to Dubois. I have no idea what happened to my father, if he got arrested or not. Hannibal, as I knew I was breathing my last breaths, it all came back to me. I understand you, I do."

"You stayed in your relationship with Tom because subconsciously you wanted to feel the same pain your mother did." Hannibal looked at her for a few moments, looking to be in as much shock as Ally had. He threw the knife to the side and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a sitting position as he rested on his knees and pulled her close against his body. His cheek rested against her face and she realized that it was wet and that he was crying. "I am so sorry," he said. "Alouette, I do not want you to doubt for one second that I love you. If I didn't, we would have never gotten this far."

"I love you too, Hannibal." She wrapped his arms around his neck and held him tightly against her as she began crying again as well. Even though she learned so much more about him in such a short amount of time, her feelings were stronger than ever before. He was the one person in the world that she felt safe with anymore. Though she acknowledged his violent side, it wasn't the same kind of violence that her father and Tom had faced her with.

"I know you are afraid, and you have every right to be. I wish I never mislead you, but I saw no other way to become close to you. I swear to you I will never hurt you again, Alouette. I am not like your father or Tom."

"I know you aren't," Ally said gently and wiped the tears from his face. Though she was still in shock, she knew she loved Hannibal and would eventually be able to accept all parts of him. She wasn't sure how she felt about taking part in eating his victims, especially because now she would know what she was eating.

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "You amaze me. You are so empathetic. I hope I can learn from you," he said. "I admire you in so many ways."

Alouette kissed his lips and he kissed her back, in a deeper way than ever before. Suddenly, a very different thought ran through her mind as she pulled away. "I killed someone, Hannibal. Won't I get caught? How have you not gotten caught yet?"

"I have had some close calls," he admitted, which worried Ally. "I will ensure that you are safe, though. Even if you are a suspect, I will find a way to protect you."

"I want to protect you too, Hannibal."

"Then I will request that you refrain from speaking to anyone about what I have revealed to you today," he said with a smirk.

"I promise." Alouette smiled back and kissed him again, feeling as though she was falling in love with him all over again.


	20. Working Together

**Note** Next chapter will be the series finale!

Hannibal and Alouette had been nearly inseparable since the night that they poured out their secrets to one another. No mention had been made to anything that was said that night since then, but Hannibal knew better than to think that it wasn't on Alouette's mind. It had only been two days, so he was sure that she was still trying to sort everything out, just as Hannibal was. He could barely believe that she had been through so much and didn't let any of it show, but he supposed the idea of repression offered a plausible explanation.

They slept in the same bed each night, whether it was at her house or his. Hannibal found that he was very much enjoying her company, and it was a whole new, amazingly relieved sensation to be able to spend time with someone that knew all of his secrets. At times, he wondered why he hadn't told her sooner, but knew it may not have worked out the same. Finally, he was free to let himself love her completely and had opened the door for her to do the same. Hannibal had never felt such an immense feeling of hope as he now did with her.

Inevitably, the idea of eating meals together became somewhat of an awkward concept. Hannibal knew that she would refuse to eat any meat from his own supply that he put in front of her, which he understood. He hoped that she would gradually warm up to the idea, but in the meantime, he bought pork, beef, and chicken from the grocery store. That night would be the first time they sat down for dinner at his home since their night of secrets, and he could tell she was nervous as she sat in her usual chair. He retrieved the package he bought the chicken in from the kitchen and said, "See? Nothing to worry about, Alouette."

She smiled and said, "Thank you Hannibal."

He finished the simple chicken and rice dish and brought it out to them. Hannibal didn't want to be rude, so he forced himself to eat the same thing as her. She thanked him once more and took a few bites, hesitating until she finished chewing before speaking. "I'm sorry if this offends you, but this isn't as good as everything else you've made for me. It's still really good, just not as rich in flavor. Perhaps I need to reconsider my eating habits."

Hannibal was absolutely delighted at her words. "Only if you wish to do so. It does not offend me that you think this chicken is subpar; I feel the same." He smirked at her. "However, I have always been curious of your dietetic opinion on my habits."

"I think it might actually be more ethical to consume humans," she said after a few moments. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. Animals are brought to slaughter and that becomes their only purpose in life. As you said before, there are other creatures that may be more deserving of such a fate." Her words were music to his ears and he smiled at her from across the table. She continued, "I have also been thinking that perhaps I would like to see the way you would choose and kill someone."

Hannibal didn't think it was possible to love her any more than he already did, but that moment proved him wrong. "I would love for you to accompany me," he said. "But only when you find that you are ready."

She nodded and laughed. "It will be the most bizarre date I've ever been on, that's for sure."

The doorbell rang, interrupting their conversation. "Excuse me," Hannibal said as he rose from the table. He opened the door to see an officer that looked vaguely familiar. "Can I help you?"

"Good evening, Dr. Lecter. I'm Officer Lown and I have a few questions to ask you. Could I come in?"

"This is perhaps a bad time," Hannibal said calmly. "I have company and we just sat for dinner."

"Is your company by chance Alouette Dubois?" the officer asked. Hannibal knew exactly what this was about, and his protective instincts for her switched on.

"Yes," Hannibal said, hesitantly.

"Well then now is the perfect time. We have some questions for her as well."

Hannibal stepped aside and let the officer enter his house. He watched as Alouette's eyes widened for a split second as they entered the dining room where she waited.

"Miss Dubois, my name is Officer Lown. I just have a few questions for you and Dr. Lecter."

"Sure," she said casually.

"Where were you two nights ago?" he began.

"She was with me," Hannibal said before she could answer. "We enjoyed a nice movie and ate dinner together."

"And did you stay at Dr. Lecter's house that night?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," she said.

"When was the last time that you were in contact with your ex-husband, Miss Dubois?"

"I suppose about two months ago or so. I haven't heard from him in a while," she lied.

"I see. Well, he's gone missing and we were just wondering if you knew anything about it. I suppose those are all the questions I had for the two of you," he said.

"Let me know if anything comes up," Alouette said as Hannibal led the officer back to the front door.

"Officer, may I offer my professional opinion?"

"Of course, Dr. Lecter."

Hannibal knew that the entire police force would respect what he had to say. "Tom was a very troubled individual, from what I have heard from Alouette. I would not be surprised at all if he had committed suicide."

"It's something we're looking into. We just wanted to make sure Miss Dubois wasn't involved. As of now, I don't believe she was."

"Nor do I," Hannibal said. "Thank you officer, have a good evening." He closed the door as Officer Lown walked away toward his squad car.

He returned to Alouette in the dining room. "See? It isn't so hard."

"Actually, it is sort of fun, to have secrets that only the two of us know. It was a bit of an adrenaline rush to lie like that," she admitted.

"If you think that was an adrenaline rush, just wait until we go out for our first kill together," he said.

Surprisingly, she asked, "Can we go tonight?" Her thin lips curved into a smile.

"Why of course," Hannibal said.

…

They pulled onto the side of the road and Hannibal turned to Alouette. "Do you want to go over the plan one more time?"

"I've got it, Hannibal." He was surprised at her eager tone, but thought that it might be because she got a taste of the power one wields when they take a life and that she wanted more. Alouette would be addicted. While this thought drove some people crazy, like Will Graham, Hannibal thought that Alouette might find solace in the power due to her traumatic past.

"If it becomes too much, I want you to go outside and wait for me in the car," he said.

"I'll be fine," she pressed.

He smirked at her and got out of the car, and they took their short walk to Gary Edgerton's house. Gary was the manager at Hannibal's favorite restaurant who had argued with him for over ten minutes while on a date with Alouette. Hannibal had ordered the salmon, which was so overcooked and dry that he couldn't contaminate his palate with such a monstrosity. Gary had refused to either recook it or take it off the bill. Hannibal supposed that it was about time for a change of staff.

He knocked on the door and Mr. Edgerton answered, wearing only a pair of boxers. Hannibal didn't hesitate before storming into the house, lifting him up off his feet by the neck, and watching as Gary's eyes grew wide in fear. Alouette shut the door behind him. He knew that Edgerton wasn't married, as evidenced by the lack of a ring on his hand, so they wouldn't have to worry about anyone else witnessing their crime. Hannibal knocked Gary's head against the wall so that he passed out.

He brought him to the kitchen and tied him to a chair, Gary's giant head slumping forward and greasy hair falling into his face. Hannibal drugged him so that when he awoke, he wouldn't pass out again from pain. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yes," Alouette said quietly behind him, her bright blue eyes wide.

Gary woke up, alarmed. They had gagged him so his attempts at calling out for help were simply futile. Hannibal took a kitchen knife in his hand and cut open Gary's stomach, and Edgerton moaned in pain. Hannibal looked at Alouette to gauge her reaction, but she hadn't even flinched. He quickly took out the liver and Gary's eyes followed him as he stood and walked to a pan with olive oil sizzling in it on the stove. He dropped in the liver and Gary watched in horror as his own body was cooked in front of his eyes.

Hannibal waited until the liver was black and charred. "Now, I believe it is a heinous crime to disrespect food the way you did at your restaurant, Mr. Edgerton. I was thinking that you should have an opportunity to experience the same kind of displeasure that I did. My salmon was this overdone," Hannibal said, holding up the burnt liver with a pair of tongs.

Gary moved his head and fought against Hannibal as he attempted to ungag him, open his mouth, and force feed him his own liver. Finally, Hannibal lost patience and broke Gary's jaw so he couldn't close it, stuffed the liver down his throat to drown out the screams, and watched as Gary's life ended by bleeding out.

"And now we glean," Hannibal said, admiring his handiwork. Alouette knelt down beside him and watched each of his movements intently as he cut out the organs that he thought were best to take. He loved that he was finally getting to show Alouette his passion, so he put on a show for her, giving each swipe of the knife a little more finesse than he usually did.

"Will you pack them away for us?" Hannibal asked her, handing her bags to put each of their treasures in. She nodded and took the first in her bare hand, with only a moment's hesitation.

Once everything was packed into the coolers, Hannibal checked the scene once more to ensure that they covered up all traces of themselves in the house. He then led Alouette back to the car. They put the cooler in the trunk and she hopped in the passenger seat.

"What did you think?" He asked her as she smiled at him.

"It was enthralling," she said. "I would like to play a bigger part next time, but it is so interesting to see you do what you do."

Hannibal studied her for a moment. She looked like the most unlikely killer in the world, with her innocent round face, bright blue eyes, and shimmering blonde hair. He was absolutely overjoyed at the fact that she actually seemed to appreciate what he did, or at least understood his reasoning for it and found it intriguing. He wondered how he would react if he saw her kill someone with her own motive; seeing her kill Tom was sure as hell a turn on, but it had been set up by Hannibal all along. Regardless, Hannibal couldn't believe how lucky he had become and how amazing it felt to walk away from his crime scenes while holding the hand of his confidant and partner. He was overcome with sublime elation and felt that he loved her more with each moment that passed. He took her face in his hands and kissed her, feeling as though his soul was becoming more and more entwined with hers.


	21. Happiness

**Note** Enjoy. Please Review. Oh, and THIS IS THE SERIES FINALE!

Alouette arrived at Hannibal's home around 4pm, dressed in a simple, but elegant, black dress and heels. He greeted her with, "Hello, beautiful," as he opened the door and leaned down to kiss her pink lips. His accent still made her swoon every time.

She took his hand as he led her into the kitchen. "What time were Brian and Shelly planning to arrive?" he asked.

"Seven, but knowing them, they will be late." Ally was nervous; it would the first time that Hannibal and Brian met, as well as the first time she and Hannibal were cooking together. She hoped nothing would go wrong and that Shelly and Brian wouldn't end up arguing during the middle of the meal, which would be completely normal for them and so awkward for Hannibal and Ally to watch. She couldn't count the number of times that they had argued in front of her over petty, insignificant things.

Regardless of her apprehension, Ally was undeniably excited to serve their cannibalistic delicacies to her innocent and naïve friends. The truth was, she loved sharing in Hannibal's secret, and the first time she had consciously tried one of Hannibal's victims a week or so ago didn't turn out in disaster. In fact, she was finding that she actually preferred the taste to conventional animal meats.

"Well, we could begin the prep work at the very least," Hannibal suggested. Alouette nodded in agreement, hoping that he would assign her to the task of dessert and leave the main course to himself. She loved to cook, but her skills simply couldn't compare to his. After tasting so much of his cooking Alouette felt that she didn't provide the food the justice that he did.

"I can start the soufflés early," she said.

As if he read her mind he said with disappointment, "Oh, but I thought you would like to help me prepare the main dish."

"I don't want to ruin it! You have the magic touch with food, Hannibal, not me." She smiled and he kissed her forehead. Ally couldn't believe that he could still give her butterflies.

"Alouette you are an excellent cook. I will be here to help as well," he said.

"Alright, alright."

"Good." He pulled out a whole heart from the fridge and brought it to the cutting board in front of her. "We should begin preparing the meat." Ally had always been slightly squeamish, so she wasn't sure how she would feel about cutting into it. Then again, she had been fine watching Hannibal kill Mr. Edgerton, and had no problem killing Tom herself, for that matter. She supposed that she could handle the prep work.

Hannibal stood behind her and guided her through each motion, his hands resting on hers. His mouth was close and she could feel his warm breath on her ear. She felt incredibly safe with him, despite the fact that he killed so easily. Alouette found that she too loved the powerful feeling that came along with taking life, and felt herself adopting his philosophy of making the world their own by ridding it of those they may find a nuisance. Her revelation of the lost year of her teenage life had also changed her dramatically, and she no longer felt powerless. She realized that her lack of ability to stand up for herself in her relationships with Tom and even Eric stemmed from her fear of her father.

Ally cut into the heart and Hannibal's grip tightened on her wrist. His hips drifted closer to her butt and he pressed himself against her as she realized he had an erection. "I love watching you take part in this," he said. Though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was smirking by the tone of his voice.

He took the knife from her hand and pushed the cutting board off to the side, creating free room on the counter. Hannibal spun her around to face him and easily picked her up and set her on the counter, straddling her legs around his waist. He kissed her slowly and let his hands float to her breasts. Alouette closed her eyes as his lips traced her jawbone and landed on her neck. She felt his teeth bite her just a bit, which she loved. Ever since they told each other all of their secrets, Ally couldn't help but notice the fact that their sexual encounters had become much more passionate than she ever thought possible. Although she was enjoying his attention immensely, there was another question nagging at the back of her mind.

She pushed him away slightly, and Hannibal gave her a confused look. "Hannibal I need to ask you a question that I want you to answer honestly," she said, though she already knew that he would be honest with her.

"Of course." His confused expression turned concerned.

"I've been wondering ever since that night I killed Tom…Have you thought about killing me?" She hoped with all of her heart that he would say no. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

"Yes," he said, pressing his forehead against hers. "But as I have said before Alouette, I could never think of hurting you now; all I want to do now is to protect you."

She swallowed, and relished his sweet words for a few moments. "When did you think about killing me?"

"Well, the night we met was the first. It just seemed too easy though; you essentially jumped in my car. The second time was—"

"The night you invited me to the orchestra," she said. "I can see it now. Why did you change your mind?"

"That beautiful Bach violin piece you happened to be playing is my favorite," Hannibal told her. "You know that I do not believe in signs, but that was impossible for me to ignore. And the last time, the night you killed Tom, was only because I never expected you to react this way about my secrets and wouldn't have been able to risk it otherwise." Hannibal cupped her face in his hands; her heart sank a little as he revealed all of this to her. "Alouette I do not want you to think that it would have been easy for me to do, for the reason you are still here is because it was so hard for me to think of losing you. Even in the beginning you intrigued me, but by the time you killed Tom, I truly was beginning to let myself love you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close, breathing in his masculine scent. He kissed the side of her face and she said, "We should finish our preparations."

Brian and Shelly arrived a couple hours later, and were actually on time. Alouette smirked as Hannibal's tall frame shadowed Brian as they shook hands. It was so bizarre to see someone as formal as Hannibal and someone as casual as Brian in the same room. One glance at Shelly revealed that her friend thought the same.

She couldn't help but smirk again and he brought out their dinner and described it so eloquently to their guests. Alouette and Hannibal shared a small, knowing smile as Shelly and Brian enjoyed their first bite of meat. Her new lifestyle was slowly beginning to grow on her.

….

Two months later

….

Hannibal watched as Alouette slept beside him, her long eyelashes fanned over her cheeks. He loved how messy her hair always was in the morning and the little breaths she took. She suddenly awoke, blinking her bright blue eyes open, and stretching her mouth in a small yawn. Alouette turned and looked at Hannibal, who was resting on his elbow looking at her. She moved her body so she was facing his, and he pulled her naked body so it rested against him. Alouette reached her head up to kiss him and Hannibal kissed her back, deeply.

Recently, she had moved in with him. Her unpacked boxes still sat around the house, but he didn't mind. He couldn't begin to describe how happy he had been with Alouette, and how shocked he was to be able to find someone to love and love him in return. He wanted to spend every second of his days with her. Now he looked forward to coming home after a long day of work, to find his love baking in the kitchen, playing her violin, or sitting on the couch drinking a glass of wine. She was the reason that Hannibal began to believe in the idea of a soulmate, and that he had undoubtedly found his.

"Good morning, Hannibal," her sweet voice cooed.

"Good morning, Alouette." He kissed her again, and found the urge to make her stay in bed with him all day. Unfortunately, she said something about having an appointment later that day, so he knew that he was out of luck this time.

She got up to use the bathroom and he watched her lean, naked body as he got out of bed as well. Hannibal put a robe on and went downstairs to make coffee. He brought two back up to the bedroom, one for himself and one for her. This was their usual morning routine and Hannibal loved it.

Alouette stood by the window, her body still undressed.

"Passing cars may see you," he said, and then smirked. "Actually, let them. They all know you are mine."

She smiled and took the coffee from his hands, thanking him. He stood behind her, his free hand snaked around her waist and his chin resting on top of her head. "There is something I need to talk to you about, Hannibal."

"And what is that, my dear Alouette?"

She took a deep breath and said, "I'm three weeks pregnant."

Hannibal was stunned, and had no idea what to say at first. He thought back to Abigail Hobbes and the way that he had felt like her father. He remembered that the experience had made him want to have a child of his own. While he had begun to fantasize about having one with Alouette, he still felt conflicted on the matter. Would he be a good father? How would they raise their child? Would they raise it to practice their cannibalistic tendencies? He wondered if having a child was even an option to them with their lifestyle, but nevertheless was intrigued by the prospect of being able to guide and shape a child through life.

However, he knew that all these questions could only be answered with time, and giving up the child in abortion or adoption was not even a consideration in his mind. Even if it was, he wouldn't want to anyways. Hannibal knew Alouette would be a great mother and he wanted them to share something more than their secrets.

He knew that she would be afraid to undertake this experience, with all the traumatizing events that she endured while pregnant the last time. Hannibal could only hope that she would trust him enough to know that he would never make her go through the same fate that Tom had forced on her. Or the same fate that her father forced on her mother, for that matter.

Hannibal ran his hand over her smooth stomach. It felt strange knowing that their unborn baby was quickly developing inside her petite body. Hannibal was once again faced with the same kind of uncertainty that Alouette had introduced when she first came into his life. He knew that having a family would open him up to the weakness which came with caring about others. He kissed the top of her head, and turned her around to face him. He took her lovely face in his hands and leaned down so his lips brushed hers as he said, "Marry me, Alouette."

**Note** Aww, how sweet. Hannibal's gonna be a daddy! And a husband! I had to end it on a good note! Now, the reason I ended the series here is that I won't be able to keep updating every day, especially because I'm going back to college really soon. I really want to do a sequel to this series at some point, if I get enough positive response to the idea. Thank you sooo much to all of you that have reviewed and continued to read my story! Kept me going when I didn't feel like writing haha(:


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